# reject

/ˈɹidʒɛkt/ (US)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/reject
Updated: 2026-06-19

## Senses

### 1. to refuse to accept

verb · CEFR B1

to refuse to accept, use, or believe something.

For teachers: to refuse to accept, acknowledge, or use something; often used in formal or academic contexts regarding theories or applications.

- The committee decided to reject the proposal because it was too expensive.
- The journal editors chose to reject the manuscript on the grounds that the methodology did not meet their rigorous peer-review standards.

Usage: Transitive verb taking a direct object.

### 2. to refuse a person

verb · CEFR B2

to refuse a person's romantic interest or a job applicant.

For teachers: to rebuff a person's advances or to deny an applicant a position or place.

- It can be very painful when someone you like rejects you.
- After three rounds of intensive interviews, the firm ultimately decided to reject his application in favour of a more experienced candidate.

### 3. to block a shot

verb · CEFR B2 · Informal

to block an opponent's shot in a game like basketball.

For teachers: to block an opponent's shot, typically sending the ball away from the basket or off the court.

- The tall defender managed to reject the shot just before it reached the hoop.
- The centre leaped high to reject the layup, sending the ball deep into the third row of the stands.

### 4. defective item

noun · CEFR B2

a product that is not good enough to be sold.

For teachers: an item that has been discarded or set aside because it does not meet quality standards.

- The factory sells its rejects at a much lower price in the outlet store.
- Quality control identified several rejects in the latest batch due to minor surface imperfections in the plastic casing.

### 5. unpopular person

noun · CEFR C1 · Informal · Slang

a person who is not accepted by a social group.

For teachers: a person who is excluded from a social group or society; often used as a derogatory label.

- In many teen movies, the main characters start out as social rejects.
- He spent his high school years feeling like a total reject before finding a community of like-minded artists in college.

Teaching tip: This can be offensive or hurtful; learners should use it with caution when referring to people.

### 6. aborted takeoff

noun · CEFR C2 · Technical

the act of stopping a plane from taking off after it has already started moving.

For teachers: the discontinuation of a takeoff roll by the flight crew due to a perceived safety issue.

- The pilot performed a high-speed reject after a warning light appeared on the dashboard.
- The captain initiated a reject at eighty knots following a sudden loss of pressure in the number two engine.

Usage: Often used in the phrase 'rejected takeoff' or as a noun in technical reports.

## Examples

- The machine will reject any coins that are too light.
- The committee decided to reject the initial proposal because it did not address the safety concerns raised by the engineers.
- While the editor found the prose compelling, she ultimately had to reject the manuscript because the central argument relied on outdated data that had been superseded by more recent studies.

---

From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.