Word a Day
rebuff
What does rebuff mean?
rebuff (verb): to refuse; to offer sudden or harsh resistance; to turn down or shut out.
Definition: Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.
How do you pronounce rebuff?
/ɹɪˈbʌf/ (IPA, American English). The app reads every word aloud.
Where does rebuff come from?
From obsolete French rebuffer, from Middle French rebuffer, from Italian ribuffare.
Etymology: Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Test yourself: do you know “rebuff”?
Tap an answer to check it. The same questions the app asks.
What does “rebuff” mean?
travel back and forth regularly, as between one's place of work and home
Not quite: that's what commute means.
to receive (something) from somebody temporarily, expecting to return it
Not quite: that's what borrow means.
to refuse; to offer sudden or harsh resistance; to turn down or shut out
Right! That's what “rebuff” means.
to forbid, disallow, or proscribe officially; to make illegal or illicit
Not quite: that's what prohibit means.
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