1. (

• refuse ,
• decline

) show unwillingness towards; "he declined to join the group on a hike" ;

2. (

• refuse ,
• reject ,
• pass_up ,
• turn_down ,
• decline

) refuse to accept; "He refused my offer of hospitality" ;

3. (

• defy ,
• resist ,
• refuse

) elude, especially in a baffling way; "This behavior defies explanation" ;

4. (

• deny ,
• refuse ,

) refuse to let have; "She denies me every pleasure"; "he denies her her weekly allowance" ;

5. (

• resist ,
• reject ,
• refuse ,

) resist immunologically the introduction of some foreign tissue or organ; "His body rejected the liver of the donor" ;

6. (

• reject ,
• turn_down ,
• turn_away ,
• refuse

) refuse entrance or membership; "They turned away hundreds of fans"; "Black people were often rejected by country clubs" ;