1. Show unwillingness towards
   "he refused to join the group on a hike";
   - decline
    
2. Not agree with a request or proposition
   "He refused to accept what she said";
   - reject, decline
    
3. Not allow (someone) to have
   "She refuses me every pleasure";
   - deny
    
4. Deny entrance or membership
   "Black people were often refused by country clubs";
   - reject, turn down, turn away
    
5. Resist immunologically the introduction of some foreign tissue or organ
   "His body refused the liver of the donor";
   - resist, reject
    
6. Elude, especially in a baffling way
   "This behaviour refuses explanation";
   - defy, resist

1. Worthless material that is to be disposed of
   "The city implemented a new system for collecting and processing refuse";
   - rubbish, trash, scrap, junk [informal], garbage

Derived forms: refusing, refuses, refused

Type of: elude, escape, evaluate, hold on, judge, keep, pass judgment, react, reply, respond, waste, waste material, waste matter, waste product

Encyclopedia: Refuse