refrain vs refuse

refrain

verb
  • To stop oneself from some action or interference; to abstain. 

  • To abstain from (food or drink). 

noun
  • The chorus or burden of a song repeated at the end of each verse or stanza. 

  • A much repeated comment, complaint, or saying. 

refuse

verb
  • To decline a request or demand, forbear; to withhold permission. 

  • To melt again. 

  • To decline (a request or demand). 

  • 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. 

noun
  • Collectively, items or material that have been discarded; rubbish, garbage. 

adj
  • Discarded, rejected. 

How often have the words refrain and refuse occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )