diff --git a/Documentation/git-apply.txt b/Documentation/git-apply.txt
index 20e12ceda0..c76cfffdc6 100644
--- a/Documentation/git-apply.txt
+++ b/Documentation/git-apply.txt
@@ -75,8 +75,8 @@ OPTIONS
 	For atomicity, gitlink:git-apply[1] by default fails the whole patch and
 	does not touch the working tree when some of the hunks
 	do not apply.  This option makes it apply
-	the parts of the patch that are applicable, and send the
-	rejected hunks to the standard output of the command.
+	the parts of the patch that are applicable, and leave the
+	rejected hunks in corresponding *.rej files.
 
 -z::
 	When showing the index information, do not munge paths,
diff --git a/builtin-apply.c b/builtin-apply.c
index 26cc54cf49..b47ccacc2e 100644
--- a/builtin-apply.c
+++ b/builtin-apply.c
@@ -2555,7 +2555,7 @@ int cmd_apply(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix)
 			continue;
 		}
 		if (!strcmp(arg, "--reject")) {
-			apply = apply_with_reject = 1;
+			apply = apply_with_reject = apply_verbosely = 1;
 			continue;
 		}
 		if (!strcmp(arg, "--verbose")) {