reject

1 of 2

verb

re·​ject ri-ˈjekt How to pronounce reject (audio)
rejected; rejecting; rejects
Synonyms of reject

transitive verb

1
a
: to refuse to accept, consider, submit to, take for some purpose, or use
rejected the suggestion
reject a manuscript
b
: to refuse to hear, receive, or admit : rebuff, repel
parents who reject their children
c
: to refuse as lover or spouse
2
obsolete : to cast off
3
: throw back, repulse
4
: to spew out
5
: to subject to immunological rejection
rejecter
ri-ˈjek-tər How to pronounce reject (audio)
noun
or rejector
rejectingly
ri-ˈjek-tiŋ-lē How to pronounce reject (audio)
adverb
rejective
ri-ˈjek-tiv How to pronounce reject (audio)
adjective

reject

2 of 2

noun

re·​ject ˈrē-ˌjekt How to pronounce reject (audio)
: a rejected person or thing
especially : one rejected as not wanted, unsatisfactory, or not fulfilling requirements

Synonyms of reject

Relevance

Verb

Noun

See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus
Choose the Right Synonym for reject

decline, refuse, reject, repudiate, spurn mean to turn away by not accepting, receiving, or considering.

decline often implies courteous refusal especially of offers or invitations.

declined his party's nomination

refuse suggests more positiveness or ungraciousness and often implies the denial of something asked for.

refused to lend them the money

reject implies a peremptory refusal by sending away or discarding.

rejected the manuscript as unpublishable

repudiate implies a casting off or disowning as untrue, unauthorized, or unworthy of acceptance.

teenagers who repudiate the values of their parents

spurn stresses contempt or disdain in rejection or repudiation.

spurned his overtures of friendship

Examples of reject in a Sentence

Verb My teacher rejected my excuse for being late. The committee rejected my proposal. The produce inspector rejected several crates of berries that had begun to grow mold. The college rejects hundreds of applicants each year. We rejected 5 of the 10 job applicants right away. Noun Stack the promising applications here, and put the rejects over there. was the school reject as a child and has low self-esteem even today
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Verb
In September 2025, the commission concluded that Israel had committed genocide in Gaza, a finding Israel rejected as politically motivated and biased. — Efrat Lachter, FOXNews.com, 9 Oct. 2026 These collections put into focus how a designer could celebrate a house’s legacy by embracing the tension between the look of decades-old fashion with contemporary style rather than rejecting it. — José Criales-Unzueta, Vanity Fair, 9 Oct. 2026
Noun
All three are crime drama-thrillers, the most exportable and ordered of program types, but all three reject tropes of the genre. — John Hopewell, Variety, 10 Oct. 2026 Pollock's rejects were the source material for Bald Eagle, according to Kumar. — Anastasia Tsioulcas, NPR, 10 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for reject

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English, from Latin rejectus, past participle of reicere, from re- + jacere to throw — more at jet

First Known Use

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Noun

circa 1555, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of reject was in the 15th century

Rhymes for reject

See All Rhymes for reject

Browse Nearby Words

rejd
reject
rejectable
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Reject.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/reject. Accessed 14 Oct. 2026.

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Kids Definition

reject

1 of 2 verb
re·​ject ri-ˈjekt How to pronounce reject (audio)
1
: to refuse to admit, believe, or receive
2
: to throw away as useless or unsatisfactory
3
: to refuse to grant or consider
4
: to cause the rejection of by the immune system
the body of the patient started to reject the transplanted heart

reject

2 of 2 noun
re·​ject ˈrē-ˌjekt How to pronounce reject (audio)
: a rejected person or thing

Medical Definition

reject

transitive verb
re·​ject ri-ˈjekt How to pronounce reject (audio)
1
: to rebuff, repel, refuse to hear, or withhold love from
especially : to communicate negative feelings toward and a wish to be free of
parents who reject their children
2
: to subject to immunological rejection
rejected a heart transplant
rejective
ri-ˈjek-tiv How to pronounce reject (audio)
adjective

Legal Definition

reject

transitive verb
re·​ject ri-ˈjekt How to pronounce reject (audio)
: to refuse to accept, acknowledge, or grant compare revoke
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