Word Confusion: Deny versus Refuse

Third person present verb: denies
Past tense or past participle: denied
Gerund or present participle: denying

Plural for the noun: refuse
Third person present verb: refuses
Past tense or past participle: refused
Gerund or present participle: refusing

• Decline to admit the truth of (a concept or proposition that is supported by the majority of scientific or historical evidence)

Withhold giving or granting (something requested or desired) to (someone)

• [deny oneself] Refrain from satisfying oneself
• [Archaic] Turn down access to (someone)
• To withhold the possession, use, or enjoyment of

To withhold something from or say no to granting a request of

To jib at recognizing or acknowledging

• Disown
• Disavow
• Repudiate

[Obsolete] To demur at taking or accepting

• Discarded

Noun:
Matter thrown away or rejected as worthless

• Trash

Verb, intransitive:
Indicate or show that one is not willing to do something

• [Informal; of a thing] Fail to perform a required action
• [Of a horse] Stop short or run alongside (a fence or other obstacle) instead of jumping it

Verb, transitive:
Indicate or show that one is not willing to do something

• [Dated] Decline to accept an offer of marriage from (someone)
• [Of a horse] Stop short or run alongside (a fence or other obstacle) instead of jumping it

To decline to give

• Reject (a request, demand, etc.)

To decline to submit to

[Military] To bend or curve back (the flank units of a military force) so that they face generally to the flank rather than the front

[Obsolete] To renounce

They’re an anti-environmentalist campaign group that denies climate change.

The inquiry was denied access to intelligence sources.

The beggar was denied entrance.

There was no way that I was going to deny myself ice cream.

He has dishonored this family by denying his gods.

The servants are ordered to deny him.

The secretary denied his employer to all those without appointments.

He denied their gift.

The company needs a dozen more refuse disposal units.

Hank will take that old mattress to the refuse dump.

Noun:
Heaps of refuse were everywhere.

“For most of history, getting rid of refuse was a simple matter of finding a hole and tossing the trash inside” (Southwest).

“The population at large must also be told to cover their water containers, storage tanks and bottles, and to get rid of refuse like plastic bags, cans, and tires dumped outside homes” (Express).

Verb, intransitive:
I refuse to answer.

He was severely beaten when he refused.

“That car will refuse to start.” She warned him.

Again the horse refused, his nostrils flaring with fear.

Verb, transitive:
She refused a cigarette.

The old lady was refused admission to four hospitals.

He’s so conceited he’d never believe anyone would refuse him.

Her horse refused a high hedge.

He refused her request to come in.

Colonel Chamberlain directed his unit to refuse the line.

Her health continued to decline and eventually she began to refuse food.

“Deny thy father and refuse thy name.” – William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet.

1. Late Middle English perhaps from the Old French refusé meaning refused, a past participle of refuser (see refuse ²).
2. Middle English from the Old French refuser, probably an alteration of the Latin recusare meaning to refuse, influenced by refutare meaning refute.