refuse

Compared meaning: to say no to something (verb).

比较义项：拒绝（做某事／接受某事）（动词）。

• refuse 本词

  The most general, everyday word for saying no to doing or accepting something; can sound blunt or forceful, and is the only one that pairs naturally with strong demands or orders.

  语气最直接、最生硬的「拒绝」，可以很强硬，常用于拒绝做某事，或拒绝接受强硬的要求、命令。

  The soldiers refused to obey the order and were arrested on the spot.

  士兵们拒绝服从命令，当场被逮捕。

• decline

  A polite, formal way to refuse, especially invitations, offers or requests; softer in tone than refuse, and unrelated to decline's other everyday meaning of decreasing.

  一种礼貌、正式的「婉拒」方式，尤其用于回绝邀请、提议或请求，语气比 refuse 柔和（与 decline 另一个表示「下降、减少」的意思无关）。

  She politely declined the invitation, explaining she already had plans that evening.

  她礼貌地婉拒了邀请，解释说她那天晚上已经有安排了。

• reject

  To formally refuse to accept something after consideration, typically an application, proposal or idea; takes only a noun object, never an infinitive, and often sounds official or blunt.

  经过考虑后正式地不予接受，通常用于申请、提案等场合，只能接名词宾语（不能说 reject to do something），语气常显得正式或生硬。

  The committee rejected his proposal because it exceeded the approved budget.

  委员会驳回了他的提案，因为超出了批准的预算。

Refuse, decline, and reject all mean to say no. Refuse is the general, everyday word, sometimes blunt. Decline is a polite, formal way to refuse, especially invitations. Reject means to formally turn down something, like an application. It does not cover decline's meaning to decrease.

这三个词都表示「拒绝」，但语气和场合不同：refuse 语气最直接甚至强硬，可用于拒绝做某事或拒绝接受某物；decline 语气委婉客气，常用于礼貌地回绝邀请、提议或请求；reject 强调经过考虑后正式地不予接受，常用于申请、提案等场合，语气较为正式或生硬。这里不比较 decline 表示「下降、减少」的义项（如原例句 Sales began to decline sharply 中的用法）。

Compared meaning: to refuse to allow or give something (verb).

比较义项：拒绝，不允许某事发生或不给予某物（动词）。

• refuse 本词

  The general, everyday word for saying no to an offer, request or permission; unlike deny, it can be followed directly by a to-infinitive to mean refuse to perform an action.

  这是表示“拒绝”最常用、最口语化的词，适用于拒绝提议、请求或许可；与 deny 不同，它可以直接接动词不定式，表示“拒绝做某事”。

  The soldier refused to hand over his weapon.

  那名士兵拒绝交出他的武器。

• deny

  A more formal word, typical of official or institutional contexts, used with a person and a thing (deny someone something); it cannot take a to-infinitive with this meaning, since 'deny to do something' is not standard English.

  这是一个更正式的词，常用于官方或制度化的语境，搭配为“deny someone something”（拒绝给予某人某物）；在这个意义上它不能接动词不定式，因为“deny to do something”这种说法不符合标准英语用法。

  The city council denied the company permission to build on the site.

  市议会拒绝给予该公司在这块地上施工的许可。

Refuse and deny both mean saying no to allowing or giving something. Refuse is general, and can be followed by 'to,' as in refuse to do something. Deny is more formal, used as 'deny someone something.' It excludes deny's other sense, saying something is false.

这两个词在“拒绝、不允许”这个意义上很接近，但 refuse 更口语化、适用范围更广，可以直接接动词不定式（refuse to do sth）；deny 语气更正式，常见于官方或制度化的语境，通常接“deny someone something”的结构，不能像 refuse 那样直接接动词不定式表示“拒绝做某事”。这里不比较 deny 常见的另一个意思——“否认（某事属实）”，例如 deny doing something 表示“否认自己做过某事”。

Compared meaning: waste material, trash (noun).

比较义项：垃圾、废弃物（名词）。

• refuse 本词

  Refuse is a formal, often official word for waste material, typically used in British institutional contexts like council refuse collection; it is uncommon in casual, everyday speech.

  refuse是较为正式、带官方色彩的词，多用于英式行政语境（如市政生活垃圾收运），在日常口语中很少使用。

  Refuse must be placed in council-issued bins before the weekly collection.

  垃圾必须放入市政指定的垃圾桶内，等待每周收运。

• garbage

  Garbage is the ordinary, informal word for waste, especially in American English, commonly used for household trash people put out for collection.

  garbage是普通、口语化的词，尤见于美式英语，常指家庭丢弃、等待收运的垃圾。

  I forgot to take the garbage out, so it started to smell in the kitchen.

  我忘了把垃圾拿出去倒，结果厨房里开始有臭味了。

Refuse and garbage both mean waste material. Refuse is formal, often official, as in council refuse collection, and uncommon in casual speech. Garbage is the ordinary, informal word for waste, especially in American English. It does not cover refuse as a verb, to say no.

这两个词在“垃圾、废弃物”这个意义上很接近，但语域不同：refuse较为正式、书面，常见于英式市政等官方语境；garbage是口语化用词，尤其常见于美式英语中日常丢弃的生活垃圾。这里不比较refuse作动词表示“拒绝”的意思。