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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
ABC News, 19 Mar. 2026
But Republicans have largely rebuffed that request, arguing that lawmakers have been sufficiently kept in the loop through a series of classified briefings.
—David Sivak, The Washington Examiner, 18 Mar. 2026
Israel has rebuffed an offer of direct talks from Beirut as too little, too late by a government that shares its goal of wanting Hezbollah disarmed but fears that acting against it could risk civil war, sources familiar with the situation said.
—Yarden Segev, NBC news, 18 Mar. 2026
Yet Beijing has rebuffed the White House’s call to help unblock the Strait of Hormuz, a request that invited ridicule from Chinese propaganda outlets and online bloggers.
—Prashant Rao, semafor.com, 17 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for rebuff
Cite this Entry
“Rebuff.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rebuff. Accessed 21 Mar. 2026.
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