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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
Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 14 May 2026
Republicans rebuffed any notion that the map wouldn’t stand on Election Day.
—Jack Harvel, Kansas City Star, 14 May 2026
His proposal was rebuffed by lawmakers, some of whom said at the time that suspending the tax would be ineffective at solving the problem.
—Emily Chang, ABC News, 11 May 2026
Baldoni, for his part, rebuffed Lively’s claims.
—Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 4 May 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 20 May. 2026.
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