Denial of something desired; as an elderly maiden's hand in marriage, to a rich and handsome suitor; a valuable franchise to a rich corporation, by an alderman; absolution to an impenitent king, by a priest, and so forth. Refusals are graded in a descending scale of finality thus: the refusal absolute, the refusal condition, the refusal tentative and the refusal feminine. The last is called by some casuists the refusal assentive.

The act of refusing; denial of anything demanded, solicited, or offered for acceptance.

The right of the first actor or model cast in an advertisement to refuse or accept the assignment.

a message refusing to accept something that is offered

A horse's act of stopping in front of an obstacle, penalised unless the horse then clears the obstacle without having to improve its run-up.

Failure to jump a fence because the horse stops or tries to run around it. Scored as a disobedience.

When a horse stops before the fence or runs out to the side of the fence to avoid negotiating the obstacle it is called a refusal. The refusal is scored as a disobedience.

When a horse stops before an obstacle or runs out to the side ("run-out") to avoid negotiating the obstacle. Although considered a disobedience of the horse, refusals are considered the fault of the rider. Like a knockdown, a refusal incurs faults.