Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A blunt or abrupt repulse or refusal, as to an offer.
  • noun A check or an abrupt setback to progress or action.
  • transitive verb To reject bluntly, often disdainfully; snub: synonym: refuse.
  • transitive verb To repel or drive back.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • To repel; make inflexible resistance to; check; put off with an abrupt and unexpected denial.
  • Synonyms To repel, repulse, throw back. See refuse.
  • noun A repelling; a repercussion.
  • noun An interposed check; a defeat.
  • noun A holding off or in check; repulsion, as of inquiry or solicitation; peremptory denial or refusal.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • transitive verb To beat back; to offer sudden resistance to; to check; to repel or repulse violently, harshly, or uncourteously.
  • noun Repercussion, or beating back; a quick and sudden resistance.
  • noun Sudden check; unexpected repulse; defeat; refusal; repellence; rejection of solicitation.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun A sudden resistance or refusal.
  • verb To refuse; to offer sudden or harsh resistance; to turn down or shut out.
  • verb To buff again.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun an instance of driving away or warding off
  • verb reject outright and bluntly
  • verb force or drive back
  • noun a deliberate discourteous act (usually as an expression of anger or disapproval)

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[From obsolete French rebuffer, to reject, from Italian ribuffare, from ribuffo, reprimand : ri-, back (from Latin re-; see re–) + buffo, gust, puff (of imitative origin).]

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