refuse--prophetes.ai

▪ I. † reˈfuse, n.¹ Obs.
    Also 4 refous, 4–5 (7) refus, 5 reffus(e, 6 refuce, Sc. refuis(e.
    [a. OF. refus, f. refuser to refuse.]
    1. = refusal 1. (Common in 15–16th c.)

1390 Gower Conf. III. 298 Thei made hem naked as thei scholde,..Amonges hem was no refus. c 1420 Lydg. Assembly of Gods 848 Refuse of Rychesse & Worldly Veynglory. 1477 Earl Rivers (Caxton) Dictes (1877) 53 The reffuses of a nygard ben bettir than the largesces of a prodygall waster. 1525 Ld. Berners Froiss. II. cci. [cxcvii.] heading, Of the refuce of them of Acquytayne made to the Duke of Lancastre. 1568 Grafton Chron. II. 513 As of the refuse made vnto my Lorde of Gloucester, of openyng the tower to him,..he aunswereth [etc.]. 1600 Fairfax Tasso xii. xiii, Readie with a proud refuse Argantes was his proffred aid to scorne. a 1639 Spottiswood Hist. Ch. Scot. v. (1677) 280 His refuse would have made a great Commotion.

b. of refuse (OF. de refus), not worth hunting. So without refuse (OF. sans refus), that ought to be hunted.

c 1330 R. Brunne Chron. (1810) 115 Siþen wan þei Inglond..& now er þise bot mansbond, rascaile of refous. c 1410 Master of Game (MS. Digby 182) xxiv, If a man se a wylde boore þe whiche seme hym gret ynogh, as men seye of þe herte chaseable of x., he shall saye a wylde boore of þe thred yere, þat is withoute refuse.

2. = refusal 3.

1753 Smollett Ct. Fathom (1784) 92/2 A certain lady of quality bespoke the refuse of the jewel.

▪ II. refuse, a. and n.²
    (ˈrɛfjʊs)
    Forms: 4 refus, reffuys, 5, 7 refuce, 6 refuze, refows, 6–7 reffuse, (6 reffize), 6–7 (9) refuge, 4– refuse.
    [app. an irregular adoption of OF. refuse (= mod.F. refusé), pa. pple. of refuser to refuse.]
    A. adj.
    † 1. Refused or rejected. Const. of (= by). Obs. rare.

c 1374 Chaucer Troylus i. 514 (570) My langwysshynge, That am refus of euery creature. 1508 Dunbar Flyting 105 Forworthin fule, of all the warld reffuse.

2. a. Rejected or thrown aside as worthless or of little value; discarded, useless: † odd (money).

[1425 in Kennett Par. Ant. (1818) II. 250 De lana refuse vendita..hoc anno.] 1464 Rolls of Parlt. V. 567/2 All the refuse Hornes..to sell. 1503–4 Churchw. Acc., Croscombe (Som. Rec. Soc.) 26 More over in the box of refows money resteth..xis. iiijd. 1530 Palsgr. 261/2 Refuse woll, layne refusee. 1611 Bible 1 Sam. xv. 9 Euery thing that was vile, and refuse, that they destroyed vtterly. 1638 Earl of Cork Diary in Lismore Papers Ser. i. (1886) V. 52, I sould 7 tonnes of refuge steele. 1659 Hammond On Ps. xxxi. 12 As that refuse potsheard, cast out as good for nothing. 1754 Hawkins Refl. Card-playing 19 Seizing on a Heap of Refuse Cards that lay by him, began playing them away. 1827–35 Willis Parrhasius 6 A dog Crunching beneath the stall a refuse bone. 1869 E. A. Parkes Pract. Hygiene (ed. 3) 25 Certain trades pour their refuse water into rivers.

transf. 1770 Langhorne Plutarch (1879) I. 98/1 He ordered the Milesians to bury him in a certain refuse and neglected place. 1879 C. Rossetti Seek & F. 59 A refuse burial in heat and frost and without lamentation.

b. of persons. rare.

1579–80 North Plutarch (1656) 207 The refuse and scattered People of the overthrowne Army his Father had lost before. 1660 J. Pory tr. Leo's Africa iii. 156 Another kinde of reffuse people of one family and disposition with the former. 1820 Lamb Elia Ser. i. Two Races Men, As distasteful as Priam's refuse sons.

B. n.
1. a. That which is cast aside as worthless; rubbish or worthless matter of any kind; the rejected or rubbishy part of anything.

c 1440 Promp. Parv. 375/1 Owte caste, or refuse, or coralyce of corne. Ibid. 427/2 Refuce, or owt caste, what so euer hyt be, caducum, purgamentum. 1455 Rolls of Parlt. V. 325/1 No Silke..but of ye wurst refuse that they mowe have. 1547 Act 1 Edw. VI, c. 3. §2 Giving the same slaue..such reffuse of meate as he shall thinke meete. 1597 Bacon Coulers Good & Evill Ess. (Arb.) 141 Many kindes [of things] haue much refuse which counteruale that which they haue excellent. 1662 J. Davies tr. Olearius' Voy. Ambass. 223 The best Wollen Tapistry in the whole Countrey, whereof there is brought into Europe but the refuse. 1709 Stanhope Paraphr. IV. 513 In themselves they are no better than Chaff and Refuse. 1755 N. Magens Insurances I. 257 The Company alledged..that there generally was some Refuse among a whole Cargo of Hemp. 1832 Babbage Econ. Manuf. xxxii. 319 Light almost solar has been extracted from the refuse of fish. 1865 Dickens Mut. Fr. i. iii, Slipping over the stones and refuse on the shore.

transf. 1569 E. Hake Newes out of Powles Churchyarde (1579) F ij, Was euer seene..such monstrous kinde of men, Such vomite, reffize, Dunghill drosse? 1599 Porter Angry Wom. Abingdon (Percy Soc.) 80 Why, thou whorson refuge of a tayler [etc.]. 1709 Steele Tatler No. 109 ¶5 The Refuse of a Heart long before given away to a Coxcomb. 1749 Smollett Gil Blas (1797) III. 87 Miserable authors whose works are the refuse of libraries and players.

b. The worthless or outcast portion of some class of persons; the scum, offscourings, dregs, etc.

1603 Knolles Hist. Turks (1621) 145 But the greater part void of judgement, and the refuce of the people in simple attire, ran roguing abroad. 1687 A. Lovell tr. Thevenot's Trav. i. 23 These..are the refuse of the tribute Children. 1711 Addison Spect. No. 99 ¶8 [This] has given Occasion to the very Refuse of Mankind..to set up for Men of Honour. 1813 Shelley Q. Mab iv. 181 The refuse of society, the dregs Of all that is most vile. 1858 Norton Topics 118 Jones, Brown, and Robinson, the ‘refuse’, remain with the regiment to be slaughtered by their sepoys.

c. The leavings of (= what is left by) something.

1665 Manley Grotius' Low C. Warres 101 He had with him, something more than Eight Hundred Horse, and Six Thousand Foot, the Refuse and Remains of the French Troubles and Tumults. 1704 Swift Batt. Bks. Misc. (1711) 260 Some Carcass half devour'd, the Refuse of gorg'd Wolves or ominous Ravens. a 1800 Cowper Heroism 70 Yet man..Gleans up the refuse of the general spoil.

2. attrib. and Comb., as refuse bin, refuse can, refuse cart, refuse collection, refuse collector, refuse disposal, refuse eater, refuse heap, refuse matter, refuse sack, refuse tip, refuse tipping; refuse consumer or destructor, a furnace in which refuse of various kinds is burned; refuse sifter, one who is employed in separating the more useful parts of refuse from the utterly worthless.

1959 J. Kirkup tr. de Beauvoir's Mem. Dutiful Daughter iii. 212 In the evenings, there would be the refuse bin to empty. 1976 ‘W. Trevor’ Children of Dynmouth i. 14 The wind..rattled the refuse-bins on the ornamental lamp⁓posts.

1955 W. Gaddis Recognitions ii. v. 539, I knew it, said Mr. Sinisterra, standing behind a refuse can. 1974 J. Wainwright Hard Hit 33 Along the street, the refuse cart is collecting the empties.

1945 Listener 12 July 35/1 For three months now there has been no refuse collection of any kind [in Berlin]. 1974 Listener 19 Sept. 368/3 There's a restaurant in Kensington Park Road. It needs six refuse collections a week.

1958 Daily Mail 25 Oct. 5/2 It happened to the rat-catcher (he's now a rodent operator), the dustman (refuse collector), and the sweeper (street orderly). 1976 Botham & Donnelly Valentino iii. 24 A string of unskilled jobs. Messenger, refuse collector, dishwasher and laundry assistant.

1906 Westm. Gaz. 10 Jan. 2/3 Owing to the narrow limits of Manhattan Island the problem of refuse-disposal is far more difficult in New York than in any other great city in the world. 1972 Country Life 28 Dec. 1790/2 Whereas refuse disposal will be a county function, refuse collection will be that of the district.

1895 Daily News 3 Aug. 3/3 The burning, fiery furnace..was simply a refuse consumer.

1895 Pall Mall G. 26 Jan. 8/1 That most essential sanitary apparatus, a refuse destructor.

1889 J. Jacobs Fables of æsop I. 66 The refuse-eater and the offal-eater Belauding each other.

1816 W. Phillips in Trans. Geol. Soc. III. 112 In 1805, I noticed some crystals of the oxyd of uranium on the refuse heaps of Tin Croft mine. 1863 Lyell Antiq. Man 22 The contents of the Danish refuse-heaps. 1921 R. A. S. Macalister Text-bk. European Archaeol. I. x. 556 Most Danish archaeologists..call these remains affaldsdynger (refuse-heaps) or skaldynger (shell-heaps).

1848 Dickens Dombey xv, The miserable waste ground, where the refuse-matter had been heaped of yore.

1972 Police Rev. 1 Dec. 1557/2 Does he, at the moment of picking up your dustbin or refuse-sack, become the owner..of its contents? 1977 Cornish Times 19 Aug. 7/2 (Publ. Notice) Refuse sacks will be provided for premises which would normally receive a collection on these days.

1884 J. Sharman Hist. Swearing i. 1 The bone-sellers and refuse-sifters of..Clare Market.

1969 M. Pugh Last Place Left xviii. 132 We reached a quarry where we buried Nell's craft lightly in the refuse tip. 1981 Observer 17 May 3/3 Refuse tips are probably the richest wildlife refuges in cities.

1974 Country Life 3 Oct. 940/3 This valley..one of the loveliest in the south west..is threatened by refuse tipping.

▪ III. refuse, v.¹
    (rɪˈfjuːz)
    Forms: 4 (5–6 Sc.) refus, (4 refusy, 5 refusen, -yn), 4–6 reffus(s)-, 5–6 refuce, Sc. refoys-, (6 refuge), 6–7 Sc. refuis(s)-, 4– refuse.
    [ad. F. refuser (12th c. = Pg. refusar, Sp. rehusar, obs. It. rifusare):—pop.L. *refūsāre, f. refūsum, pa. pple. of refundĕre: see refund v.¹]
    I. † 1. a. To disclaim, disown, decline to countenance (an act). Obs.^—1

13.. Coer de L. 4669 Cursyd be he that thy werk alowe!.. Thou hast done us gret schame: Thou wer wurthy to have blame; Al swylke werkes I refuse.

† b. To avoid, keep clear of or free from (sin, vice, etc.). Obs.

1357 Lay Folks Catech. 58 The seuen vertues that ilk man sal use, And..the seuen dedely sinnes that man sal refuse. 1390 Gower Conf. III. 164 If a Prince wolde him reule..This vice sholde be refused, Wherof the Princes ben assoted. 1526 Pilgr. Perf. (W. de W. 1531) 3 What we shold ensewe & folowe, and what we sholde refuse & forsake. 1534 More Comf. agst. Trib. ii. Wks. 1207/2 Geue the Emperor those thinges that are his, refusing al extorsion and bribery beside. 1587 Induct. Mirr. Mag. viii, Examples there, for all estates you find,..the gentleman vngentlenes refuse. 1691 Hartcliffe Virtues 399 By his being well directed in his Morals, to refuse evil and to do good.

2. To decline to take or accept (something offered or presented); to reject the offer of (a thing).

13.. K. Alis. 396 Theo falce god dude al his wille..; Theo game refuse scheo n'olde. c 1330 R. Brunne Chron. (1810) 103 Þorgh conseile of som of hise, refused [F. refusa] he þat present. 1393 Langl. P. Pl. C. xiv. 142 Ich seih..how þat men mede token, and mercy refuseden. c 1425 Wyntoun Cron. ii. v. 338 Bot he refoysitt þat curtassy, For þe worschep of his larde. 1513 Douglas æneis iv. iii. 34 Quhat wickit wycht wald ever Refuse sic proffer..? 1596 Shakes. Merch. V. v. i. 211 No Woman had it, but a ciuill Doctor, Which did refuse three thousand Ducates of me. 1671 Milton P.R. ii. 329 Meats by the Law unclean..young Daniel could refuse. 1710 Swift Jrnl. to Stella let. v, Lord Halifax began a health to me to-day;..which I refused. 1755 Colman & Thornton Connoisseur No. 60 ¶4 A leads a strong Club, which B refuses. 1774 Goldsm. Nat. Hist. (1776) VII. 82 Four days after they refuse all vegetable food. 1820 Shelley in Lady Shelley Memorials (1859) 138 It was refused at Drury Lane..on a plea of the story being too horrible. 1847 Mrs. A. Kerr tr. Ranke's Hist. Servia 242 Rather let the duty be undertaken by those who refuse foreign assistance.

b. To reject (a thing or person) in making a choice or selection. † Also const. from. Somewhat rare.

1526 Tindale Matt. xxi. 42 The same stone which the bylders refused, is set in the princypall parte of the corner. 1556 Lauder Tractate 508, I haue maid knawin..How that ȝe suld Elect..Ȝour Iugis..And quhome ȝe aucht for to refuse Frome that gret office. 1611 Bible Isa. vii. 15 That hee may know to refuse the euill, and choose the good. 1633 Herbert Priest to Temple iv, They say it is an ill Mason that refuseth any stone. 1725 Watts Logic iv. i, By this means they [poets and orators] will better judge what to chuse and what to refuse.

3. To decline to accept or submit to (a command, rule, instruction, etc.) or to undergo (pain or penalty).

1375 Barbour Bruce xii. 205 Nane payn sall refusit be Till we haue maid our cuntre fre. c 1386 Chaucer Clerk's T. 72 Accepteth thanne of vs the trewe entente That neuere yet refuseden thyn heeste. c 1440 Cursor M. 28678 (Cott. Galba), Þis man..es in will to sin nomare, And refuses penance neuer þe lese. 1484 Caxton Fables of æsop v. xvi, He that reffuseth the good doctryne of his fader, yf euyl happe cometh to hym it is but ryght. 1560 J. Daus tr. Sleidane's Comm. 112 [They] graunted out proces against certen,..whose judgement, unles they surceased they would refuse. a 1618 Raleigh Sceptick in Rem. (1651) 15 This creature chuseth his food, refuseth the whip, fawneth on his Master. 1667 Milton P.L. vi. 41 To subdue By force, who reason for thir Law refuse. 1784 Cowper Task v. 874 Yet thus we dote, refusing while we can Instruction. 1856 ‘Stonehenge’ Brit. Rural Sports 363/1 The orders to ride behind..could scarcely be refused by the jockey.

b. transf. of things, in various contextual senses.

1490 Caxton Eneydos x. 40 Her membres refuseden the swete reste of slepe. 1684 tr. Bonet's Merc. Compit. xviii. 643 A young Man had been ill of an Ulcer in his Chin for 3 years, which refused all Medicines. 1726 Leoni tr. Alberti's Archit. I. 75/2 We must..have such a depth, in..the Haven, as will not refuse Ships of burthen, though ever so deep laden. 1794 Rigging & Seamanship II. 325 Clubhauling is practised when it is expected that a ship will refuse stays upon a lee shore. 1873 Spon Workshop Rec. Ser. i. 152/1 The acid..causes the stone to refuse the printing ink except where touched by the chalk.

c. Of a horse: To stop short at (a hedge, water, etc.) instead of leaping. (Cf. 13 b.). Also transf.

1840 De Quincey Style iii. Wks. 1862 X. 227 We shall endeavour to bring up our reader to the fence..But as we have reason to fear that he will ‘refuse’ it [etc.]. 1881 Encycl. Brit. XII. 197/2 However bold the horse may be, he will soon refuse water if his rider be perpetually in two minds when approaching a brook.

4. † a. To reject (a person); to decline to admit to a certain position, or to some relationship with oneself. Obs.

1390 Gower Conf. III. 180 Every jugge was refused Which was noght frend to comun riht. c 1400 Destr. Troy 12978 Þai meuit vnto messan with þere men hole; All refusit hom the folke of þe fyne plase. a 1548 Hall Chron., Hen. VIII. 219 b, She them utterly refused for her servauntes. 1611 Bible Acts vii. 35 This Moses whom they refused, saying, who made thee a ruler and a Iudge? 1671 Milton P.R. iv. 496 [Thou] wouldst be thought my God, And storm'st refus'd. 1683 Songs Lond. Prentices (Percy Soc.) 79, I for my part will utterly refuse thee.

b. To reject, decline to have, as a († lover, paramour) wife or (now usually) husband.

c 1375 Sc. Leg. Saints xxxi. (Eugenia) 358 Quhen scho schaw [= saw] scho wes sa refusit, scho can sorou ma. c 1400 Mandeville (1839) xvii. 179 Alle the Wommen there..forsake no man. And thei seyn, thei synnen, ȝif thei refusen ony man. 1484 Caxton Fables of Alfonce xi, A yonge man..was so moche esprysed of her loue that by cause she reffused hym he deyde for her loue. 1600 E. Blount tr. Conestaggio 266 Bicause she had refused so many great Kings and Princes in former times. 1722 De Foe Relig. Courtsh. i. i. (1840) 10, I dare say she won't refuse him. 1773 Goldsm. Stoops to Conq. v, You know I can't refuse her till I'm of age, father. 1866 G. Macdonald Ann. Q. Neighb. i. (1878) 5, I had been refused a few months before.

† c. To decline to meet (an opponent). Obs. rare.

a 1513 Fabyan Chron. (1811) II. 538 Syr Wyllyam Darell refusyd his appellant, or they had ronne theyr full coursys. 1606 Shakes. Ant. & Cl. iii. vii. 40 No disgrace Shall fall you for refusing him at Sea, Being prepared for Land.

† d. Venery. To reject (a stag) as not proper for the chase. Obs. rare^—1.
The Fr. text has il n'a point de refuz (cf. refuse n.¹ 1 b).

c 1410 Master of Game (MS. Digby 182) xxiv, He shall saye þat it is an hert þat farne yer was of x.; þat shuld not be refused.

II. † 5. To renounce: a. To resign, give up (something valued or attractive). Obs.

c 1375 Sc. Leg. Saints iii. (Andrew) 920 Manis falowschipe haf I refoysit euir-mare halely. c 1430 Lydg. Min. Poems (Percy Soc.) 120 Ther was a kyng..Refused his corowne and gan to advertise [etc.]. 1472–3 Rolls of Parlt. VI. 54/1 The Tenauntes of your said Suppliauntes have refused their tenures, and the said maner lefte waste. 1500–20 Dunbar Poems xxx. 5 Reffus the warld, for thow mon be a freir. 1568 Grafton Chron. II. 308 marg., The king here agreeth to refuse the name of the French king, and no more to call himselfe by that name. 1684 Bunyan Pilgr. ii. Introd. A 2 b, Yea tell them.. how they still Refuse this World, to do their Father's will.

† b. To decline to bear (a name). Obs.

1393 Langland P. Pl. C. iv. 369 Þat is noȝt reisonable ne rect to refusy my syres sorname. 1592 Shakes. Rom. & Jul. ii. ii. 34 Denie thy Father and refuse thy name. 1652 C. B. Stapylton Herodian 36 Yea to such drunken dotage he was growne, He now refused flat his Fathers Name.

† c. To abandon, forsake, give over (a practice, way of life, action, etc.). Obs.

1377 Langl. P. Pl. B. xix. 365 Thanne alkyn crystene saue comune wommen, Repenteden & refused synne. 1432–50 tr. Higden (Rolls) II. 339 Iosue..renewede circumcision, refusede [L. intermissam] by xl^ti yere. Ibid. V. 407 They myȝhte not refuse [L. renunciare] theire olde rites. 1509 Barclay Shyp of Folys (1874) I. 165 This day begyn thy lewde lyfe to refuse. 1589 R. Robinson Gold. Mirr. (1851) 10 The traueller, his jorney doth refuse.

† d. To abandon, leave, depart from (a place).

c 1350 Leg. Holy Rood iv. 125 Þan cristen men þat place refused, None of þam efter þeder vsed. 1568 Grafton Chron. II. 15 In the ende King William was faine to refuse the fielde, and gat at that tyme none aduauntage of his..sonne. a 1600 Flodden F. iii. (1664) 23 First of all refuse this place And down to yonder Valleys draw The walls.

† 6. To renounce (God or Christ); to cast off (a person); to divorce (a wife). Obs.

1390 Gower Conf. III. 80 Whan he for lust his god refuseth, And tok him to the dieules craft. 1432–50 tr. Higden (Rolls) III. 389 He hade refusede [L. repudiata] Olimpias the moder off kynge Alexander, for cause of adowtery. 1531 Dial. Laws Eng. i. xxvi. F vij, Thoughe suche a byll of refusell was lawfull, so that they that refused theyr wyves therby shulde be without payne in the lawe. 1562 Child Marriages 191 Now in her old age she wold not hurt her soule, and refuge Christ..in speakinge any thinge apon her othe but the truthe. 1566 Sternhold & H. Ps. 389 Refuse me not that am vniust. 1599 Shakes. Much Ado iv. i. 186 Refuse me, hate me, torture me to death.

† b. In (God) refuse me, as an oath. Obs.

1612 Webster White Devil i. i, God refuse me. c 1626 Dick of Devon ii. i. in Bullen O. Pl. II. 27 They should have found..another manner of noise than dam me and refuse me. 1640 tr. Verdere's Romant of Rom. II. 84 God refuse me, said Arnides, if ever I come neer it.

† c. transf. Of things: To decline, or cease, to remain with (a person); to abandon, desert. Obs.

14.. Prov. Gd. Counsel 12 in Q. Eliz. Acad. 68 He þat yn yowþe no vertue wyll vse, In Age all honour wyll hym Refuse. 1500–20 Dunbar Poems xxxvi. 6 Gif it be thyne thy self it vsis, Gif it be nocht the it refusis. 1582 Stanyhurst æneis iii. (Arb.) 88 Thee winds and soonbeams vs, poore souls weerye, refused. a 1590 Montgomerie Misc. Poems x. 36 Vhat better ar they nor a beist, Fra tym that reson thame refuisis?

† d. To let go, dismiss. Obs. rare^—1.

c 1440 York Myst. xxxiii. 315 Now I recorde wele þe right, ȝe will no raþere refuse hym, To he be dreuen to his dede and demed to dye.

† 7. To put or drive away, get rid of. Obs. rare.

1387 Trevisa Higden (Rolls) V. 53 So þat ȝif he knewe eny þat kepte of here owne catel for to lyve by, he refused hem þat [read and] wolde nouȝt have hem in his loore. 1426 Lydg. De Guil. Pilgr. 4534 Thus my smerte yerde I vse, Alle synnes to refuse, And do with-al correccioun. c 1450 St. Cuthbert (Surtees) 7586 Walchere began forto moyse how he þat menȝe moght refoyse, And forto bryng in monkys agayne. 1483 Caxton G. de la Tour K v b, They whiche were worthy to be blamed were refused and separed oute of the felaushipe of the other.

† 8. To deny (a charge or allegation). Obs. rare.

1390 Gower Conf. I. 76 Thei of the suggestioun Ne couthen noght a word refuse. ? c 1475 Sqr. lowe Degre 400 Thou may not thyselfe excuse; This dede thou shalt no wise refuse. 1752 Maccoll in Scots Mag. (1753) Sept. 449/2 The deponent refusing his having seen him. 1753 in Stewart's Trial App. 139 This letter was..shown this day to Allan Stewart his son, who refuses it to be his hand-writing.

III. 9. With inf. To decline positively, to express or show a determination not to do something. Also transf. of things.

1390 Gower Conf. II. 43 Bot otherwise, if thou refuse To love, thou miht so per cas Ben ydel. c 1450 Lonelich Grail lii. 791 Thanne myht he Refusen..with ȝow to fyhten In bataylle. 1477 Rolls of Parlt. VI. 187/2 If..the Pleyntif or Pleyntifs, or their attourney, refusen to be sworn in fourme aforeseid. 1560 J. Daus tr. Sleidane's Comm. 6 He..will not refuse to stande in judgement herein of the universities of Germany and Paris. 1591 Spenser M. Hubberd 21 Seeing kindly sleep refuse to doe His office. 1667 Milton P.L. ii. 451 Wherefore do I assume These Royalties, and not refuse to Reign..? 1719 Young Busiris iii. i, My trembling limbs Refuse to bear their weight. 1780 Cowper Progr. Err. 498 If stubborn Greek refuse to be his friend, Hebrew or Syriac shall be forced to bend. 1874 Green Short Hist. viii. §3. 483 Eliot refused to move from his constitutional ground.

b. Const. with gerund. rare.

1753 L. M. Accomplished Woman II. 252 One of the principal actors..refused going upon the stage. 1766 Burrows' Reports II. 1152 The Officer of the inferior Court can not refuse paying obedience to the Writ.

10. To decline to give or grant; to deny (something asked) to a person (or thing).

1585 T. Washington tr. Nicholay's Voy. i. xvii. 19 b, [To] obtaine of the great Lord that which by his lieuetenaunt was refused. 1607 Shakes. Cor. v. i. 33 If you refuse your ayde..yet do not Vpbraid's with our distresse. 1734 tr. Rollin's Anc. Hist. (1827) II. ii. 186 He could not refuse his tears to the unhappy fate of Carthage. 1821 Shelley Hellas 587 The Georgians Refuse their living tribute. 1859 Tennyson Enid 448 When I..Refused her to him, then his pride awoke.

† b. refl. To abstain from giving (oneself) over, to refrain from yielding, to (something). Obs.

1753 Chesterfield Lett. (1792) IV. ccxcviii. 12, I have refused myself to every thing that my own experience did not justify and confirm. 1788 Gibbon Decl. & F. lxiv. VI. 288 Nor can I refuse myself to those events which..will interest a philosophic mind. 1809 Malkin Gil Blas vii. i. ¶11 She would fancy she had her death to answer for, had she refused herself to any of her whims.

c. Mil. To decline to oppose (troops) to the enemy; to withdraw or move back from the regular alignment.

1796 Instr. & Reg. Cavalry (1813) 176 The echellons on one flank will be refused, and on the other they will advance..to envelope the enemy. 1802 James Milit. Dict. s.v., The French during the whole of the action..refused their right wing. 1875 Kinglake Crimea V. vi. 92 If the disposers of ordnance..should desire..to refuse their right, they might bend off that part of their artillery line along the crest.

11. With double acc.: To decline to give, deny (something) to (a person, or thing).

1621 H. Elsing Debates Ho. Lords (Camden) 53 That John Birde..[was arrested] by John Gillett..and refused baylle. 1746 H. Walpole Let. 17 Jan., On their refusing him entrance, he burst open the door with his foot. 1782 F. Burney Cecilia vi. x, I feel already that I can refuse you nothing. 1817 Shelley Otho 16 Such pride as from impetuous love may spring, That will not be refused its offering. 1891 Law Times XC. 462/1 Where the court refuses a parent the custody of his child.

b. With personal object (or subject) only.

1784 Cowper Task iv. 418 These ask with painful shyness, and refused Because deserving, silently retire. 1818 Shelley Rev. Islam ii. xxvii, Soon I could not have refused her. 1865 Trollope Belton Est. x. 110 If refused once, he might probably ask again.

† 12. To refuse (one) leave to do something; to prohibit or keep back from something. Obs.

1617 Moryson Itin. i. 171 The Guard refused me as a foot-man to passe into the Citie. 1657 in Burton's Diary (1828) II. 308 They refused the magistrates of Edinburgh from the sacrament, for three years. 1688 Exped. Pr. Orange in Select. Harl. Misc. (1793) 471 Sir William W― who had been at Ford with the prince, to see Sir William C―, were both refused to be seen of him.

IV. 13. intr. To make refusal; to decline acceptance or compliance; to withhold permission; spec. in écarté (see refusal 1 b).

13.. Gaw. & Gr. Knt. 1772 Nede hym bi-houed, Oþer lach þer hir luf, oþer lodly re-fuse. 1535 Coverdale 1 Sam. xxviii. 23 But he refused, and sayde, I wil not eate. 1560 J. Daus tr. Sleidane's Comm. 130 b, He not refusyng, toke his offer in very good part also. 1611 Shakes. Wint. T. ii. iii. 137 If thou refuse, And wilt encounter with my Wrath, say so. 1668 Sedley Mulb. Gard. i. iv, Sister, tho' Laws of Decency refuse, We shining Swords, and glitt'ring Armour use. 1717 Prior Alma i. 160 Before they're ask'd, can maids refuse? 1780 Cowper Progr. Err. 25 Free in his will to choose or to refuse, Man may improve the crisis, or abuse. 1877 Encycl. Brit. VII. 620/1 (Ecarté), The dealer may either accept or refuse... If the dealer refuses the hand is played without discarding.

b. Of a horse: (see 3 c above).

1525 Ld. Berners Froiss. ii. clxviii. 190/2 The first course they fayled for their horses refused at y⊇ cope. 1857 G. Lawrence Guy Liv. ix, The Axeine swerves, and refuses at rather an easy fence.

c. Of a pile: To resist further driving.

1879 Sir R. Ball in Cassell's Techn. Educ. V. 276 When the pile ‘refuses’, as it is technically termed..it..is capable of supporting the buildings.