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Many English verbs begin with the prefix re-, meaning “again” or “backward,” so we wouldn’t criticize you for drawing a connection between rebuff and buff, a verb meaning “to polish or shine.” But rebuff would beg to differ: this word comes to us from the Middle French verb rebuffer, which traces back to the Old Italian ribuffare, meaning “to reprimand.” (Buff, in contrast, comes from the Middle French noun buffle, meaning “wild ox”). A similar word, rebuke, shares the “criticize” sense of rebuff, but not the “reject” sense; one can rebuke another’s actions or policies, but one does not rebuke the advances of another, for example. Like rebuke, rebuff can also be used as a noun, as in “The proposal was met with a stern rebuff from the Board of Trustees.”
Examples of rebuff in a Sentence
Maya Singer, Vogue, 27 Feb. 2025
How control of Ukrainian territory has shifted Flashback: Russia began a three-front lightening offensive on Feb. 24, 2022 but failed in its primary objective of taking Kyiv and was also rebuffed in the south and east (see second map).
—Dave Lawler, Axios, 24 Feb. 2025
Louisiana could sue New York if its requests to extradite the doctor are rebuffed, according to legal experts.
—Alaa Elassar, CNN, 23 Feb. 2025
And, in a recent interview with CBS's John Dickerson, Williams rebuffed the president's claim that she and Wilmore had been abandoned.
—Josh Dinner, Space.com, 20 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for rebuff
Cite this Entry
“Rebuff.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rebuff. Accessed 5 Mar. 2025.
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