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declined 1 of 2

adjective

as in bowing
bending downward or forward we awaited our punishment with declined heads

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declined

2 of 2

verb

past tense of decline
1
as in refused
to show unwillingness to accept, do, engage in, or agree to he declined the invitation to the party she declined to participate in the soccer game

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2
as in denied
to be unwilling to grant declined our request to hold a party

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3
as in fell
to go to a lower level especially abruptly new-car sales declined to their lowest level in years

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4
as in deteriorated
to become worse or of less value his reputation as a writer began to decline not long after his death

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5
as in decreased
to grow less in scope or intensity especially gradually the winds should decline as soon as the cold front passes

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6
as in plunged
to lead or extend downward the bike path declines toward the riverbank and then follows the river for several miles

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of declined
Verb
Laboratory officials declined to provide details, citing privacy concerns, but said experts from India, China, the United States, Singapore and South Korea were assisting with the work. — ABC News, 26 Sep. 2026 The couple — identified as Trinity County residents Mallory and Jeff Wilson by the San Francisco Chronicle, which was first to report on the incident — declined The Times’ interview request. — Iris Kwok, Los Angeles Times, 26 Sep. 2026 Harry is allegedly working on a Netflix documentary about Princess Diana’s tragic death tied to the 30th anniversary, and Diana’s sisters, Lady Sarah McCorquodale and Lady Jane Fellowes, have declined to participate in the project. — Allison Degrushe, StyleCaster, 26 Sep. 2026 Marcos del Mazo / LightRocket via Getty Images Duro also said an anonymous individual had offered to cover the rent payments, but the landlord declined to sign a new lease. — Jamie Gray, NBC news, 26 Sep. 2026 The other four networks in the rotation — CBS, NBC, ABC and Fox — declined to replace CNN, suspending coverage for most of the week, an act of protest that meant a dearth of video images from the White House. — Ted Johnson, Deadline, 25 Sep. 2026 Dippolito declined to share the names of the other restaurants joining the lineup. — Carolyn Stein, Chicago Tribune, 25 Sep. 2026 The Pentagon declined to address questions about the accounting discrepancy. — Arkansas Online, 19 Sep. 2026 The Yankees and Apollo declined to comment on the Steinbrenners selling a stake in the 27-time World Champions. — Scott Soshnick, Sportico.com, 19 Sep. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for declined
  1. nodding
  2. refused
  3. denied
  4. fell
  5. deteriorated
  6. decreased
  7. plunged
  8. weeping
Adjective
  • James O’Donoghue, a planetary scientist with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, likened our planet’s tilting phenomenon to a nodding head.
    — Aylin Woodward, WSJ, 21 Dec. 2021
Definition of nodding
Verb
  • But while making an unsuccessful 2024 Senate bid, in an interview with the Detroit Free Press editorial board, Rogers refused to answer who won the presidential contest in 2020.
    — Sam Gringlas, NPR, 21 Sep. 2026
  • After Liviniti, the pharmacy benefit manager, refused coverage for Henderson, his family turned to Jefferson County.
    — Arthur Allen, CBS News, 21 Sep. 2026
Definition of refused
Verb
  • Soon after, Politico said its White House reporter Cheyenne Haslett was also denied entry and had her badge confiscated.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 20 Sep. 2026
  • Harvey’s City Council voted unanimously last October to apply for the so-far rare designation of a Financially Distressed City, which the state denied in April.
    — A.D. Quig, Chicago Tribune, 20 Sep. 2026
Definition of denied
Verb
  • Yet trees that took a millennium to grow can be felled in under an hour.
    — Annika Hammerschlag, Los Angeles Times, 16 Sep. 2026
  • Vines are pulled away from fences, and sometimes trees are even felled.
    — The Washington Post, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Sep. 2026
Definition of fell
Verb
  • Carney maintained this approach even as US-Canada relations deteriorated and the economic rift between the neighbors grew.
    — Lex Harvey, CNN Money, 23 Sep. 2026
  • With no unionization company-wide, the efforts of distribution workers to seek any protections have been routinely dismissed while accidents and working conditions have deteriorated at many of their plants.
    — Zach Dennis, Charlotte Observer, 22 Sep. 2026
Definition of deteriorated
Verb
  • Adult admission decreased by a few dollars, and children’s tickets are now $10 every day, all day.
    — Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 18 Sep. 2026
  • The likelihood that a domestic violence suspect will face prosecution has decreased in the past several years.
    — Connor Sheets, Los Angeles Times, 16 Sep. 2026
Definition of decreased
Verb
  • Shares have plunged nearly 18% over the past three months as investors weigh the risks of CoreWeave taking out massive amounts of debt to fuel growth.
    — Liz Napolitano, CNBC, 23 Sep. 2026
  • The slaying, which federal prosecutors say was partly plotted in South Florida, plunged the country deeper into chaos.
    — Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 23 Sep. 2026
Definition of plunged
Adjective
  • And every day, across from them, outside the clinic, about to enter or just leaving, there were women hugging each other and weeping.
    — David Mamet, National Review, 11 Aug. 2022
  • The show manages to stay on the brink — always laughing, never quite weeping — for its entire length.
    — Helen Shaw, Vulture, 8 Dec. 2021
Definition of weeping

Browse Nearby Words

decline
declined
declined (in)
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Cite this Entry

“Declined.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/declined. Accessed 27 Sep. 2026.

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