What does reject mean?
Reject means to refuse to accept, approve, admit, or agree to something. In everyday use, a person may reject an offer, invitation, application, or proposal, and an institution may reject a request or submission. The word can also describe refusing to accept a person, idea, theory, or claim: for example, a reviewer may reject an argument, or a government may reject an accusation. Reject is distinct from simply disliking something; it usually implies a decision or an unwillingness to accept what is offered or proposed. The related noun rejection names the act or decision of refusing acceptance, while a reject is, in some contexts, a person or thing considered unacceptable. Although “reject” and “refuse” overlap in meaning, “reject” is especially common when an offer, proposal, or application is turned down.
To refuse to accept, agree to, approve, or admit something.
"The editor rejected the article because it did not meet the journal's standards."
The word can refer to both physical rejection and the formal refusal of an offer, proposal, application, or claim.
A person or thing that is rejected or considered unacceptable.
"The factory sorted the damaged items into a pile of rejects."
This noun is less common than the verb and is often used in technical, commercial, or literary contexts.
Used when referring to multiple rejected people, items, or materials.
"The recycling plant separated the rejects from the usable materials."
To reject something is to send it back: the word originally meant to throw it back, a meaning still visible in ideas and proposals that are “rejected.”
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does reject come from?
The word comes from Latin rejicere, formed from the prefix re-, meaning back, and jacere, meaning to throw or cast. The original sense was to throw back or repel. English adopted the word in the late medieval period, initially with military and physical meanings, before it developed the modern sense of refusing to accept or approve.
Related word forms
How reject is actually used
Reject is generally formal or neutral in tone. In business and administrative contexts, it often means formally refusing an application, proposal, or request.
Easily confused with reject
Reject usually means to turn down an offer, proposal, application, or idea, while refuse more broadly means to decline to do or provide something.