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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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
  • Despite president Florentino Perez and general manager Jose Angel Sanchez’s refusals to sign him in recent months, this change of heart among Madrid’s key figures was something the supporters had been calling for.
    — David Ornstein, New York Times, 24 July 2026
  • The models were tested with reduced cyber refusals, allowing researchers to measure their maximum capabilities without the production safeguards normally designed to block high-risk cyber activity.
    — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 21 July 2026
Definition of refusals
Noun
  • DeSantis’ vetoes carved roughly $800 million from the $115 billion state budget the Legislature passed in May, including 140 projects requested by Miami-Dade lawmakers that are worth nearly $88 million, according to a Miami Herald analysis.
    — Douglas Hanks, Miami Herald, 30 June 2026
  • One of his biggest vetoes slashed more more than $225 million for new housing and maintenance of existing facilities requested by the Department of Corrections.
    — Jeffrey Schweers, The Orlando Sentinel, 29 June 2026
Definition of vetoes
Noun
  • These June 30 rejections include supplemental health benefits, a night shift differential, geographic pay differential, a recruitment and retention proposal, seniority differential and overtime meal benefits, according to the complaint.
    — Corey Schmidt, Sacbee.com, 24 July 2026
  • Blue Film shot back in 2024 and went through waves of rejections from various festivals as Tuttle completed postproduction.
    — David Canfield, HollywoodReporter, 22 July 2026
Definition of rejections
Noun
  • State law requires housing providers to justify such denials by identifying a connection between the crime and the applicant’s suitability as a tenant.
    — Haley Parsley, Sacbee.com, 24 July 2026
  • Many families face significant barriers to obtaining testing, including long waitlists, limited access to genetics specialists, insurance denials and uncertainty about which tests to order and when.
    — Eliza Goldwasser, New York Daily News, 20 July 2026
Definition of denials

Browse Nearby Words

nay
nays
naysayer
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Nays.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nays. Accessed 29 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on nays

Nglish: Translation of nays for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of inveigle

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

Why does English have so many silent letters?

Your vs. You're: How to Use Them Correctly
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Dutch Treat and French Leave: Eight Place-Based Compounds

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Dutch Treat and French Leave: Eight Place-Based Compounds

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
chain-question-mark
Missing Link Quiz July 2026 Five seconds to figure out the word that fits bot...
See All