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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
Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 15 Feb. 2025
Lorne Michaels once rebuffed Taylor Swift’s efforts to get a Saturday Night Live sketch lightly spoofing her 1989-era squad days, according to a new story in New York Magazine.
—Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 14 Feb. 2025
That plan was likewise rebuffed by congress and redesigned in more limited form, and is now working its way through the legislature.
—Sammy Feldblum, The Dial, 30 Jan. 2025
Since being detained by the CIO last week, Yoon has rebuffed efforts to question him.
—Hyung-Jin Kim, Los Angeles Times, 23 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for rebuff 
Dictionary Entries Near rebuff
Cite this Entry
“Rebuff.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rebuff. Accessed 21 Feb. 2025.
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