refuse in WordNet English dictionary

1. show unwillingness towards
   "he declined to join the group on a hike"
   refuse  decline 
   
2. refuse to accept
   "He refused my offer of hospitality"
   refuse  reject  pass up  turn down  decline 
   
3. elude, especially in a baffling way
   "This behavior defies explanation"
   defy  resist  refuse 
   
4. refuse to let have
   "She denies me every pleasure"; "he denies her her weekly allowance"
   deny  refuse 
   
5. refuse entrance or membership
   "They turned away hundreds of fans"; "Black people were often rejected by country clubs"
   reject  turn down  turn away  refuse 
   
6. resist immunologically the introduction of some foreign tissue or organ
   "His body rejected the liver of the donor"
   resist  reject  refuse 
   

1. food that is discarded (as from a kitchen)
   garbage  refuse  food waste  scraps