The noun refuse has 1 sense (first 1 from tagged texts)
1. (1) garbage, refuse, food waste, scraps -- (food that is discarded (as from a kitchen))
Overview of verb refuse
The verb refuse has 6 senses (first 4 from tagged texts)
1. (47) refuse, decline -- (show unwillingness towards; "he declined to join the group on a hike")
2. (13) refuse, reject, pass up, turn down, decline -- (refuse to accept; "He refused my offer of hospitality")
3. (5) defy, resist, refuse -- (elude, especially in a baffling way; "This behavior defies explanation")
4. (2) deny, refuse -- (refuse to let have; "She denies me every pleasure"; "he denies her her weekly allowance")
5. resist, reject, refuse -- (resist immunologically the introduction of some foreign tissue or organ; "His body rejected the liver of the donor")
6. reject, turn down, turn away, refuse -- (refuse entrance or membership; "They turned away hundreds of fans"; "Black people were often rejected by country clubs")