REBUFF


Meaning of REBUFF in English

I. rə̇ˈbəf, rēˈ- transitive verb

( -ed/-ing/-s )

Etymology: Middle French rebuffer, from Italian ribuffare, to reprimand, from ribuffo reprimand

1. : to refuse or repulse without ceremony : give a sharp check to : snub

mix only with the right people and rebuff invitations from those we didn't like — H.E.Salisbury

2. : to drive or beat back

thunder and drenching flood rebuff the winds — Robert Bridges †1930

rebuffed the enemy attack

II. “, ˈrēˌ- noun

( -s )

Etymology: Middle French rebuffe, from Italian ribuffo reprimand

1. : an abrupt or unceremonious rejection of an offer or advance : snub

the task was uncongenial to one sensitive to rebuffs, but he succeeded in raising the outside amount necessary — H.K.Rowe

2. : a sharp setback : repulse

four costly rebuffs of a tiny outpost detachment — F.V.W.Mason

the reader who picks it up as casually as he would a common novel is headed for a rebuff that will set him back upon his heels — B.R.Redman

Webster's New International English Dictionary.      Новый международный словарь английского языка Webster.