Verb: rebuff ri'búf
- Reject outright and bluntly
"She rebuffed his proposal";
- snub, repel, stiff [N. Amer, informal]
- Force or drive back
"rebuff the attack";
- repel, repulse, fight off, drive back
- A deliberate discourteous act (usually as an expression of anger or disapproval)
"His refusal to shake hands was seen as a rebuff";
- slight
- An instance of driving away or warding off
"The army's rebuff of the invaders was celebrated throughout the country";
- snub, repulse
Derived forms: rebuffs, rebuffing, rebuffed
Type of: defend, discourtesy, disdain, dispute, fight, fight back, fight down, freeze off [informal], offence [Brit, Cdn], offense [US], offensive activity, oppose, pooh-pooh [informal], reject, rejection, scorn, spurn, turn down
Encyclopedia: Rebuff