refuser
/ʁə.fy.ze/
To refuse in French is refuser.
The verb refuser is used to mean declining a request or a demand.
Meaning: (transitive) decline (request, demand) (verb)
Which one should you use?
While the English noun 'refuse' refers to trash, the French verb refuser is a cognate that means to decline and does not refer to waste.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
When using refuser to say you refuse to do something, it is followed by the preposition de before an infinitive.
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation is /ʁə.fy.ze/. It has 3 syllables.
What mistakes should you avoid?
Do not use refuser to mean 'to discard' or 'to throw away' as you might with the English noun 'refuse'.
Did you know?
- The French language uses refuser to describe things that do not 'take' a certain treatment, such as a fabric that refuse a specific dye.
- In French, if you want to say you are 'refusing' a gift or a drink politely, you are more likely to use décliner than refuser, as the latter can sound blunt or aggressive.
- The French verb refuser is a linguistic hybrid, born from a mixture of two different Latin verbs, refūtāre and recūsāre.
Examples in context
- Il me faut refuser.I must refuse.Tatoeba #2482599 by sacredceltic, translation #2245992 by CK
- Je ne pouvais refuser.I couldn't refuse.Tatoeba #2187068 by sacredceltic, translation #2060680 by CK
- Tom refusera de le faire.Tom will refuse to do that.Tatoeba #7561231 by tras, translation #7544436 by CK
- Je regrette de vous informer que nous devons refuser votre demande de remboursement.I regret to inform you that we must refuse your request for a refund.
- Je dois décliner votre invitation à la fête ce soir, car j'ai déjà des engagements prévus.I must decline your invitation to the party tonight, because I already have engagements planned.
- Notre comité a décidé de rejeter votre proposition pour le projet.Our committee decided to reject your proposal for the project.
- Tu veux que je t'accompagne chez le dentiste ? Pas question !Do you want me to accompany you to the dentist? No way!
- 38 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Gabriel is offering Manon a piece of cake.
- ManonTu veux un morceau de gâteau ?Do you want a piece of cake?
- GabrielJe dois refuser, je suis au régime.I must refuse, I am on a diet.
- ManonC'est dommage, il est délicieux !That's a pity, it is delicious!
- GabrielJe sais, mais je ne peux pas.I know, but I can't.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “refuse” translations and entries refuser, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries refuser, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
