Words that rhyme with refuse

  • abuse
    n 1: cruel or inhumane treatment; "the child showed signs of physical abuse" [syn: maltreatment, ill-treatment, ill-usage, abuse] 2: a rude expression intended to offend or hurt; "when a student made a stupid mistake he spared them no abuse"; "they yelled insults at the visiting team" [syn: abuse, insult, revilement, contumely, vilification] 3: improper or excessive use; "alcohol abuse"; "the abuse of public funds" [syn: misuse, abuse] v 1: treat badly; "This boss abuses his workers"; "She is always stepping on others to get ahead" [syn: mistreat, maltreat, abuse, ill-use, step, ill-treat] 2: change the inherent purpose or function of something; "Don't abuse the system"; "The director of the factory misused the funds intended for the health care of his workers" [syn: pervert, misuse, abuse] 3: use foul or abusive language towards; "The actress abused the policeman who gave her a parking ticket"; "The angry mother shouted at the teacher" [syn: abuse, clapperclaw, blackguard, shout] 4: use wrongly or improperly or excessively; "Her husband often abuses alcohol"; "while she was pregnant, she abused drugs"
  • accuse
    v 1: bring an accusation against; level a charge against; "The neighbors accused the man of spousal abuse" [syn: accuse, impeach, incriminate, criminate] 2: blame for, make a claim of wrongdoing or misbehavior against; "he charged the director with indifference" [syn: charge, accuse]
  • amuse
    v 1: occupy in an agreeable, entertaining or pleasant fashion; "The play amused the ladies" [syn: amuse, divert, disport] 2: make (somebody) laugh; "The clown amused the children"
  • bemuse
    v 1: cause to be confused emotionally [syn: bewilder, bemuse, discombobulate, throw]
  • blues
    n 1: a type of folksong that originated among Black Americans at the beginning of the 20th century; has a melancholy sound from repeated use of blue notes 2: a state of depression; "he had a bad case of the blues" [syn: blues, blue devils, megrims, vapors, vapours]
  • booze
    n 1: an alcoholic beverage that is distilled rather than fermented [syn: liquor, spirits, booze, hard drink, hard liquor, John Barleycorn, strong drink] v 1: consume alcohol; "We were up drinking all night" [syn: drink, booze, fuddle]
  • bruise
    n 1: an injury that doesn't break the skin but results in some discoloration [syn: bruise, contusion] v 1: injure the underlying soft tissue or bone of; "I bruised my knee" [syn: bruise, contuse] 2: hurt the feelings of; "She hurt me when she did not include me among her guests"; "This remark really bruised my ego" [syn: hurt, wound, injure, bruise, offend, spite] 3: break up into small pieces for food preparation; "bruise the berries with a wooden spoon and strain them" 4: damage (plant tissue) by abrasion or pressure; "The customer bruised the strawberries by squeezing them"
  • chartreuse
    adj 1: of something having the yellowish green color of Chartreuse liqueur n 1: aromatic green or yellow liqueur flavored with orange peel and hyssop and peppermint oils; made at monastery near Grenoble, France 2: a shade of green tinged with yellow [syn: yellow green, yellowish green, chartreuse, Paris green, pea green]
  • choose
    v 1: pick out, select, or choose from a number of alternatives; "Take any one of these cards"; "Choose a good husband for your daughter"; "She selected a pair of shoes from among the dozen the salesgirl had shown her" [syn: choose, take, select, pick out] 2: select as an alternative over another; "I always choose the fish over the meat courses in this restaurant"; "She opted for the job on the East coast" [syn: choose, prefer, opt] 3: see fit or proper to act in a certain way; decide to act in a certain way; "She chose not to attend classes and now she failed the exam"
  • circumfuse
    v 1: spread something around something
  • confuse
    v 1: mistake one thing for another; "you are confusing me with the other candidate"; "I mistook her for the secretary" [syn: confuse, confound] 2: be confusing or perplexing to; cause to be unable to think clearly; "These questions confuse even the experts"; "This question completely threw me"; "This question befuddled even the teacher" [syn: confuse, throw, fox, befuddle, fuddle, bedevil, confound, discombobulate] 3: cause to feel embarrassment; "The constant attention of the young man confused her" [syn: confuse, flurry, disconcert, put off] 4: assemble without order or sense; "She jumbles the words when she is supposed to write a sentence" [syn: jumble, confuse, mix up] 5: make unclear, indistinct, or blurred; "Her remarks confused the debate"; "Their words obnubilate their intentions" [syn: confuse, blur, obscure, obnubilate]
  • contuse
    v 1: injure the underlying soft tissue or bone of; "I bruised my knee" [syn: bruise, contuse]
  • cruise
    n 1: an ocean trip taken for pleasure [syn: cruise, sail] v 1: drive around aimlessly but ostentatiously and at leisure; "She cruised the neighborhood in her new convertible" 2: travel at a moderate speed; "Please keep your seat belt fastened while the plane is reaching cruising altitude" 3: look for a sexual partner in a public place; "The men were cruising the park" 4: sail or travel about for pleasure, relaxation, or sightseeing; "We were cruising in the Caribbean"
  • cruse
    n 1: small jar; holds liquid (oil or water)
  • defuse
    v 1: remove the triggering device from [ant: fuse]
  • diffuse
    adj 1: spread out; not concentrated in one place; "a large diffuse organization" 2: (of light) transmitted from a broad light source or reflected [syn: soft, diffuse, diffused] [ant: concentrated, hard] 3: lacking conciseness; "a diffuse historical novel" v 1: move outward; "The soldiers fanned out" [syn: diffuse, spread, spread out, fan out] 2: spread or diffuse through; "An atmosphere of distrust has permeated this administration"; "music penetrated the entire building"; "His campaign was riddled with accusations and personal attacks" [syn: permeate, pervade, penetrate, interpenetrate, diffuse, imbue, riddle] 3: cause to become widely known; "spread information"; "circulate a rumor"; "broadcast the news" [syn: circulate, circularize, circularise, distribute, disseminate, propagate, broadcast, spread, diffuse, disperse, pass around]
  • disabuse
    v 1: free somebody (from an erroneous belief)
  • disuse
    n 1: the state of something that has been unused and neglected; "the house was in a terrible state of neglect" [syn: neglect, disuse]
  • effuse
    v 1: pour out; "effused brine" [syn: effuse, pour out] 2: flow or spill forth [syn: flow out, effuse] 3: give out or emit (also metaphorically); "The room effuses happiness"
  • enthuse
    v 1: cause to feel enthusiasm 2: utter with enthusiasm
  • excuse
    n 1: a defense of some offensive behavior or some failure to keep a promise etc.; "he kept finding excuses to stay"; "every day he had a new alibi for not getting a job"; "his transparent self-justification was unacceptable" [syn: excuse, alibi, exculpation, self-justification] 2: a note explaining an absence; "he had to get his mother to write an excuse for him" 3: a poor example; "it was an apology for a meal"; "a poor excuse for an automobile" [syn: apology, excuse] v 1: accept an excuse for; "Please excuse my dirty hands" [syn: excuse, pardon] 2: grant exemption or release to; "Please excuse me from this class" [syn: excuse, relieve, let off, exempt] 3: serve as a reason or cause or justification of; "Your need to sleep late does not excuse your late arrival at work"; "Her recent divorce may explain her reluctance to date again" [syn: excuse, explain] 4: defend, explain, clear away, or make excuses for by reasoning; "rationalize the child's seemingly crazy behavior"; "he rationalized his lack of success" [syn: apologize, apologise, excuse, justify, rationalize, rationalise] 5: ask for permission to be released from an engagement [syn: excuse, beg off] 6: excuse, overlook, or make allowances for; be lenient with; "excuse someone's behavior"; "She condoned her husband's occasional infidelities" [syn: excuse, condone]
  • fuse
    n 1: an electrical device that can interrupt the flow of electrical current when it is overloaded [syn: fuse, electrical fuse, safety fuse] 2: any igniter that is used to initiate the burning of a propellant [syn: fuse, fuze, fusee, fuzee, primer, priming] v 1: mix together different elements; "The colors blend well" [syn: blend, flux, mix, conflate, commingle, immix, fuse, coalesce, meld, combine, merge] 2: become plastic or fluid or liquefied from heat; "The substances fused at a very high temperature" 3: equip with a fuse; provide with a fuse [ant: defuse] 4: make liquid or plastic by heating; "The storm fused the electric mains"
  • hypotenuse
    n 1: the side of a right triangle opposite the right angle
  • infuse
    v 1: teach and impress by frequent repetitions or admonitions; "inculcate values into the young generation" [syn: inculcate, instill, infuse] 2: fill, as with a certain quality; "The heavy traffic tinctures the air with carbon monoxide" [syn: impregnate, infuse, instill, tincture] 3: undergo the process of infusion; "the mint tea is infusing" 4: let sit in a liquid to extract a flavor or to cleanse; "steep the blossoms in oil"; "steep the fruit in alcohol" [syn: steep, infuse] 5: introduce into the body through a vein, for therapeutic purposes; "Some physiologists infuses sugar solutions into the veins of animals"
  • lose
    v 1: fail to keep or to maintain; cease to have, either physically or in an abstract sense; "She lost her purse when she left it unattended on her seat" [ant: hold on, keep] 2: fail to win; "We lost the battle but we won the war" [ant: win] 3: suffer the loss of a person through death or removal; "She lost her husband in the war"; "The couple that wanted to adopt the child lost her when the biological parents claimed her" 4: place (something) where one cannot find it again; "I misplaced my eyeglasses" [syn: misplace, mislay, lose] 5: miss from one's possessions; lose sight of; "I've lost my glasses again!" [ant: find, regain] 6: allow to go out of sight; "The detective lost the man he was shadowing after he had to stop at a red light" 7: fail to make money in a business; make a loss or fail to profit; "I lost thousands of dollars on that bad investment!"; "The company turned a loss after the first year" [syn: lose, turn a loss] [ant: break even, profit, turn a profit] 8: fail to get or obtain; "I lost the opportunity to spend a year abroad" [ant: acquire, gain, win] 9: retreat [syn: fall back, lose, drop off, fall behind, recede] [ant: advance, gain, gain ground, get ahead, make headway, pull ahead, win] 10: fail to perceive or to catch with the senses or the mind; "I missed that remark"; "She missed his point"; "We lost part of what he said" [syn: miss, lose] 11: be set at a disadvantage; "This author really suffers in translation" [syn: suffer, lose]
  • misuse
    n 1: improper or excessive use; "alcohol abuse"; "the abuse of public funds" [syn: misuse, abuse] v 1: apply to a wrong thing or person; apply badly or incorrectly; "The words are misapplied in this context"; "You are misapplying the name of this religious group" [syn: misapply, misuse] 2: change the inherent purpose or function of something; "Don't abuse the system"; "The director of the factory misused the funds intended for the health care of his workers" [syn: pervert, misuse, abuse]
  • muse
    n 1: in ancient Greek mythology any of 9 daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne; protector of an art or science 2: the source of an artist's inspiration; "Euterpe was his muse" v 1: reflect deeply on a subject; "I mulled over the events of the afternoon"; "philosophers have speculated on the question of God for thousands of years"; "The scientist must stop to observe and start to excogitate" [syn: chew over, think over, meditate, ponder, excogitate, contemplate, muse, reflect, mull, mull over, ruminate, speculate]
  • news
    n 1: information about recent and important events; "they awaited news of the outcome" [syn: news, intelligence, tidings, word] 2: information reported in a newspaper or news magazine; "the news of my death was greatly exaggerated" 3: a program devoted to current events, often using interviews and commentary; "we watch the 7 o'clock news every night" [syn: news program, news show, news] 4: informal information of any kind that is not previously known to someone; "it was news to me" 5: the quality of being sufficiently interesting to be reported in news bulletins; "the judge conceded the newsworthiness of the trial"; "he is no longer news in the fashion world" [syn: newsworthiness, news]
  • ooze
    n 1: any thick, viscous matter [syn: sludge, slime, goo, goop, gook, guck, gunk, muck, ooze] 2: the process of seeping [syn: seepage, ooze, oozing] v 1: pass gradually or leak through or as if through small openings [syn: seep, ooze] 2: release (a liquid) in drops or small quantities; "exude sweat through the pores" [syn: exude, exudate, transude, ooze out, ooze]
  • overuse
    n 1: exploitation to the point of diminishing returns [syn: overexploitation, overuse, overutilization, overutilisation] v 1: make use of too often or too extensively [syn: overuse, overdrive]
  • perfuse
    v 1: force a fluid through (a body part or tissue); "perfuse a liver with a salt solution" 2: cause to spread or flush or flood through, over, or across; "The sky was suffused with a warm pink color" [syn: suffuse, perfuse]
  • peruse
    v 1: examine or consider with attention and in detail; "Please peruse this report at your leisure"
  • profuse
    adj 1: produced or growing in extreme abundance; "their riotous blooming" [syn: exuberant, lush, luxuriant, profuse, riotous]
  • reuse
    v 1: use again after processing; "We must recycle the cardboard boxes" [syn: recycle, reprocess, reuse]
  • ruse
    n 1: a deceptive maneuver (especially to avoid capture) [syn: ruse, artifice]
  • schmooze
    n 1: an informal conversation [syn: chat, confab, confabulation, schmooze, schmoose] v 1: talk idly or casually and in a friendly way [syn: shmooze, shmoose, schmooze, schmoose, jawbone]
  • shoes
    n 1: a particular situation; "If you were in my place what would you do?" [syn: place, shoes]
  • snooze
    n 1: sleeping for a short period of time (usually not in bed) [syn: nap, catnap, cat sleep, forty winks, short sleep, snooze] v 1: sleep lightly or for a short period of time [syn: snooze, drowse, doze]
  • suffuse
    v 1: cause to spread or flush or flood through, over, or across; "The sky was suffused with a warm pink color" [syn: suffuse, perfuse] 2: to become overspread as with a fluid, a colour, a gleam of light; "His whole frame suffused with a cold dew"
  • transfuse
    v 1: impart gradually; "Her presence instilled faith into the children"; "transfuse love of music into the students" [syn: instill, transfuse] 2: pour out of one vessel into another 3: treat by applying evacuated cups to the patient's skin [syn: cup, transfuse] 4: give a transfusion (e.g., of blood) to
  • use
    n 1: the act of using; "he warned against the use of narcotic drugs"; "skilled in the utilization of computers" [syn: use, usage, utilization, utilisation, employment, exercise] 2: what something is used for; "the function of an auger is to bore holes"; "ballet is beautiful but what use is it?" [syn: function, purpose, role, use] 3: a particular service; "he put his knowledge to good use"; "patrons have their uses" 4: (economics) the utilization of economic goods to satisfy needs or in manufacturing; "the consumption of energy has increased steadily" [syn: consumption, economic consumption, usance, use, use of goods and services] 5: (psychology) an automatic pattern of behavior in reaction to a specific situation; may be inherited or acquired through frequent repetition; "owls have nocturnal habits"; "she had a habit twirling the ends of her hair"; "long use had hardened him to it" [syn: habit, use] 6: exerting shrewd or devious influence especially for one's own advantage; "his manipulation of his friends was scandalous" [syn: manipulation, use] 7: (law) the exercise of the legal right to enjoy the benefits of owning property; "we were given the use of his boat" [syn: use, enjoyment] v 1: put into service; make work or employ for a particular purpose or for its inherent or natural purpose; "use your head!"; "we only use Spanish at home"; "I can't use this tool"; "Apply a magnetic field here"; "This thinking was applied to many projects"; "How do you utilize this tool?"; "I apply this rule to get good results"; "use the plastic bags to store the food"; "He doesn't know how to use a computer" [syn: use, utilize, utilise, apply, employ] 2: take or consume (regularly or habitually); "She uses drugs rarely" [syn: use, habituate] 3: use up, consume fully; "The legislature expended its time on school questions" [syn: use, expend] 4: seek or achieve an end by using to one's advantage; "She uses her influential friends to get jobs"; "The president's wife used her good connections" 5: avail oneself to; "apply a principle"; "practice a religion"; "use care when going down the stairs"; "use your common sense"; "practice non-violent resistance" [syn: practice, apply, use] 6: habitually do something (use only in the past tense); "She used to call her mother every week but now she calls only occasionally"; "I used to get sick when I ate in that dining hall"; "They used to vacation in the Bahamas"
  • clews
    n 1: the cords used to suspend a hammock
  • druse
    n 1: an adherent of an esoteric monotheistic religious sect living in the relative security of the mountains of Syria and Lebanon who believes that Al-hakim was an incarnation of God; "a Druze is permitted to conform outwardly to the faith of the unbelievers among whom he lives" [syn: Druze, Druse]
  • druze
    n 1: an adherent of an esoteric monotheistic religious sect living in the relative security of the mountains of Syria and Lebanon who believes that Al-hakim was an incarnation of God; "a Druze is permitted to conform outwardly to the faith of the unbelievers among whom he lives" [syn: Druze, Druse]
  • hughes
    n 1: English poet (born in 1930) [syn: Hughes, Ted Hughes, Edward James Hughes] 2: United States writer (1902-1967) [syn: Hughes, Langston Hughes, James Langston Hughes] 3: United States industrialist who was an aviator and a film producer; during the last years of his life he was a total recluse (1905-1976) [syn: Hughes, Howard Hughes, Howard Robard Hughes] 4: United States jurist who served as chief justice of the United States Supreme Court (1862-1948) [syn: Hughes, Charles Evans Hughes]
  • loos
    n 1: Austrian architect (1870-1933) [syn: Loos, Adolf Loos]
  • meuse
    n 1: a European river; flows into the North Sea [syn: Meuse, Meuse River] 2: an American operation in World War I (1918); American troops under Pershing drove back the German armies which were saved only by the armistice on November 11 [syn: Meuse, Meuse River, Argonne, Argonne Forest, Meuse-Argonne, Meuse- Argonne operation]
  • shmooze
    n 1: (Yiddish) a warm heart-to-heart talk v 1: talk idly or casually and in a friendly way [syn: shmooze, shmoose, schmooze, schmoose, jawbone]
  • trews
    n 1: tight-fitting trousers; usually of tartan
  • recuse
    v 1: disqualify oneself (as a judge) in a particular case 2: challenge or except to a judge as being incompetent or interested, in canon and civil law
  • toulouse
    n 1: a city on the Garonne River in southern France to the southeast of Bordeaux; a cultural center of medieval Europe
  • syracuse
    n 1: a city in central New York 2: a city in southeastern Sicily that was founded by Corinthians in the 8th century BC [syn: Syracuse, Siracusa] 3: the Roman siege of Syracuse (214-212 BC) was eventually won by the Romans who sacked the city (killing Archimedes) [syn: Syracuse, siege of Syracuse] 4: the Athenian siege of Syracuse (415-413 BC) was eventually won by Syracuse [syn: Syracuse, siege of Syracuse]
  • accrues
  • adieux
  • boos
  • brews
  • canoes
  • chews
  • clues
  • coups
  • crews
  • cues
  • dews
  • dues
  • ensues
  • eschews
  • ewes
  • flews
  • glues
  • grandnephews
  • hews
  • hues
  • incuse
  • kangaroos
  • misconstrues
  • moos
  • nephews
  • nephew's
  • pews
  • pursues
  • q's
  • queues
  • screws
  • tattoos
  • two's
  • twos
  • views
  • who's
  • whose
  • zoo's
  • zoos
  • ques
  • booz
  • bruse
  • buse
  • buus
  • chuse
  • crewes
  • cruz
  • cruze

See also refuse definition and refuse synonyms