Withhold vs Refuse - What's the difference?
withhold | refuse |
To keep (a physical object that one has obtained) to oneself rather than giving it back to its owner.
To keep (information, etc) to oneself rather than revealing it.
To retain; to keep back; not to grant; as, to withhold assent to a proposition.
(UK) Collectively, items or material that have been discarded; rubbish, garbage.
To decline (a request or demand).
* Bible, Isa. i. 20
* {{quote-news
, year=2011
, date=September 27
, author=Alistair Magowan
, title=Bayern Munich 2 - 0 Man City
, work=BBC Sport
To decline a request or demand, forbear; to withhold permission.
(military) To throw back, or cause to keep back (as the centre, a wing, or a flank), out of the regular alignment when troops are about to engage the enemy.
(obsolete) To disown.
* Shakespeare
In transitive terms the difference between withhold and refuse
is that withhold is to retain; to keep back; not to grant; as, to withhold assent to a proposition while refuse is to decline (a request or demand).As an adjective refuse is
discarded, rejected.As a noun refuse is
collectively, items or material that have been discarded; rubbish, garbage.withhold
English
Verb
Synonyms
* retainDerived terms
* overwithhold * underwithholdrefuse
English
Etymology 1
From (etyl) .Noun
(-)Synonyms
* discards * garbage (US ) * rubbish (UK ) * trash (US ) * See alsoEtymology 2
From (etyl) refuser, from .Verb
(refus)- My request for a pay rise was refused .
- I refuse to listen to this nonsense any more.
- If ye refuse ye shall be devoured with the sword.
citation, page= , passage=City were outclassed thereafter and Roberto Mancini said that substitute Carlos Tevez refused to play.}}
- I asked the star if I could have her autograph, but she refused .
- to refuse the right wing while the left wing attacks
- Refuse thy name.
