rejected; rejecting; rejects
: a rejected person or thing
especially : one rejected as not wanted, unsatisfactory, or not fulfilling requirements
Examples of reject in a Sentence
Verb My teacher rejected my excuse for being late. The committee rejected my proposal. The produce inspector rejected several crates of berries that had begun to grow mold. The college rejects hundreds of applicants each year. We rejected 5 of the 10 job applicants right away. Noun Stack the promising applications here, and put the rejects over there. was the school reject as a child and has low self-esteem even today
Recent Examples on the Web
Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 23 Apr. 2026 Andrew Nixon, deputy assistant secretary for media relations at the US Department of Health and Human Services, confirmed that the study had been rejected. —Brenda Goodman, CNN Money, 22 Apr. 2026
Steve Hartman, CBS News, 11 Apr. 2026 At first glance, the collection seemed to be a paean to rejects. —Diana Arterian, Literary Hub, 19 Feb. 2026 See All Example Sentences for reject
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Verb
Prosecutors said Maya’s ballot was counted in the recall election, but rejected the following year. —Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 23 Apr. 2026 Andrew Nixon, deputy assistant secretary for media relations at the US Department of Health and Human Services, confirmed that the study had been rejected. —Brenda Goodman, CNN Money, 22 Apr. 2026
Noun
Today, there are hundreds of rejects packed in wood cabinets and cardboard boxes. —Steve Hartman, CBS News, 11 Apr. 2026 At first glance, the collection seemed to be a paean to rejects. —Diana Arterian, Literary Hub, 19 Feb. 2026 See All Example Sentences for reject
Cite this Entry
“Reject.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.grautoblog.com/dictionary/reject. Accessed 24 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
reject
1 of 2 verb
re·ject ri-ˈjekt 
1
: to refuse to admit, believe, or receive
2
: to throw away as useless or unsatisfactory
3
: to refuse to grant or consider
4
: to cause the rejection of by the immune system
the body of the patient started to reject the transplanted heart
reject
2 of 2 noun
re·ject ˈrē-ˌjekt
: a rejected person or thing
Medical Definition
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