nays

noun

plural of nay
1
as in noes
a vote or decision against something when the votes were tallied, it was 241 yeas and 54 nays

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2
as in refusals
an unwillingness to grant something asked for gave a resounding nay to the request for a mixed-company camping trip

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 nays And on July 2, after the arrival of British forces in New York lent the proceedings new urgency, Congress did, in fact, declare independence—with a vote of 12 yeas, 0 nays, and 1 abstention. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 1 July 2026 With Cornyn not on the floor, the vote for more than 25 minutes was stuck at 56 ayes and 40 nays, with three other GOP senators, Rick Scott of Florida, Wisconsin’s Ron Johnson and Mike Lee of Utah, not voting, for unclear reasons. — Emily Wilkins,dan Mangan, CNBC, 10 Nov. 2025 Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum announced the decision following an endorsement from the Chamber of Deputies and a Senate vote that saw 76 ayes, five nays and 35 abstentions. — Kate Nishimura, Sourcing Journal, 3 Sep. 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for nays
  1. noes
  2. refusals
  3. vetoes
  4. rejections
  5. denials
Noun
  • While that effort went down with a wider margin, 84 nos and 17 yeses, a dozen Republicans supported it, revealing the extent of unease over the issue within the Senate GOP conference.
    — Zachary Schermele, USA Today, 4 June 2026
  • On the framework amendment, there were 12 Republican noes.
    — Hailey Bullis, The Washington Examiner, 19 Apr. 2026
Definition of noes
Noun
  • Some shared their own workarounds for the AI’s refusals — which included just using another model, like Claude or Gemini.
    — Frank Landymore, Futurism, 29 July 2026
  • The models ran with reduced cyber refusals, and the evaluation omitted the production classifiers that normally block high-risk cyber activity.
    — Janakiram MSV, Forbes.com, 27 July 2026
Definition of refusals
Noun
  • The president has endorsed state Senate President Ty Masterson, who sometimes overrode Kelly’s vetoes, for the GOP nomination.
    — David Weigel, semafor.com, 4 Aug. 2026
  • The second option is the General Assembly’s annual fall veto session, a six-day stretch where lawmakers can consider vetoes, unresolved legislation and, at times, new bills.
    — Kate Armanini, Chicago Tribune, 1 Aug. 2026
Definition of vetoes
Noun
  • But immigration experts and lawyers said the move will likely be used to streamline asylum rejections and subsequent deportations.
    — Mathew Miranda, Sacbee.com, 28 July 2026
  • Ghosting and near-immediate rejections have become a normal part of the process.
    — Kate Wieczorek, Forbes.com, 27 July 2026
Definition of rejections
Noun
  • Those denials are on the record, but what is established is that vulnerability is real and the infrastructure was operated by a person whose firms had documented ties to the security service.
    — Susie Violet Ward, Forbes.com, 31 July 2026
  • Several experts said the rule change, if implemented judiciously, could alleviate the backlog without leading to a surge in detentions or denials of valid asylum claims.
    — Christopher Cann, USA Today, 30 July 2026
Definition of denials

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nay
nays
naysayer
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Cite this Entry

“Nays.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nays. Accessed 5 Aug. 2026.

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