as in rejecting
to show unwillingness to accept, do, engage in, or agree to
fiercely independent, the elderly couple spurned all offers of financial help
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Recent Examples of spurning
Waning support for Israel, and increasingly bipartisan disapproval of the war in Iran, has loomed large over the primary elections, with candidates increasingly spurning the support of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee and sharpening their criticism of the country.
—
Grace Gilson, Sun Sentinel, 23 Mar. 2026
The application will test an agency that has promised to speed new gene-editing treatments to patients but has recently come under scrutiny from regulators, executives, and advocates for spurning a string of gene therapies for neurological diseases.
—Jason Mast, STAT, 3 Mar. 2026
Leeds kept pushing, and kept winning the ball back, but for a good half-hour, City kept trying regardless, spurning the opportunity to go long to Antoine Semenyo, who looks a capable target man, but is no Haaland (nobody is).
—Sam Lee, New York Times, 2 Mar. 2026
Bo Bichette spurning the Phillies for the NL East rival New York Mets was akin to a gut punch for the NL East champions.
—CBS News, 20 Jan. 2026
After a lengthy standoff, Lane Kiffin finally made a decision on his coaching future by spurning the Ole Miss Rebels and a shot at a national title for the LSU Tigers.
—Andrew McCarty, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 Dec. 2025
People Magazine, spurning millions of sexy dead people, has once again chosen a Sexiest Man Alive.
—Choire Sicha, CNN Money, 4 Nov. 2025
After spurning offers from such interested parties as maitre d’ Craig Susser — who opened his own namesake restaurant in 2011 — Tana sold Dan Tana’s in 2009 to friend Sonja Perencevic, who still runs it.
—Ryan Gajewski, HollywoodReporter, 7 Sep. 2025
Shortly after spurning his conjugal love tent vehicle, Colby received a call from Pontiac with a proposition.
—EW.com, 13 Aug. 2025
Grace Gilson, Sun Sentinel, 23 Mar. 2026
The application will test an agency that has promised to speed new gene-editing treatments to patients but has recently come under scrutiny from regulators, executives, and advocates for spurning a string of gene therapies for neurological diseases.
—Jason Mast, STAT, 3 Mar. 2026
Leeds kept pushing, and kept winning the ball back, but for a good half-hour, City kept trying regardless, spurning the opportunity to go long to Antoine Semenyo, who looks a capable target man, but is no Haaland (nobody is).
—Sam Lee, New York Times, 2 Mar. 2026
Bo Bichette spurning the Phillies for the NL East rival New York Mets was akin to a gut punch for the NL East champions.
—CBS News, 20 Jan. 2026
After a lengthy standoff, Lane Kiffin finally made a decision on his coaching future by spurning the Ole Miss Rebels and a shot at a national title for the LSU Tigers.
—Andrew McCarty, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 Dec. 2025
People Magazine, spurning millions of sexy dead people, has once again chosen a Sexiest Man Alive.
—Choire Sicha, CNN Money, 4 Nov. 2025
After spurning offers from such interested parties as maitre d’ Craig Susser — who opened his own namesake restaurant in 2011 — Tana sold Dan Tana’s in 2009 to friend Sonja Perencevic, who still runs it.
—Ryan Gajewski, HollywoodReporter, 7 Sep. 2025
Shortly after spurning his conjugal love tent vehicle, Colby received a call from Pontiac with a proposition.
—EW.com, 13 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spurning
Verb
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Washington and some other states, however, started rejecting licensure applicants or revoking nurses with diplomas from those schools even before the investigation was made public.—
Annie Martin,
The Orlando Sentinel,
8 May 2026
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Some families are also rejecting the eye ointment.—
Duaa Eldeib,
CNN Money,
8 May 2026
Verb
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Strickland then mocked Chimaev for refusing to fight in the parking lot.—
Alejandro Avila OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
8 May 2026
-
Baldoni later accused a trio of other insurers of breach of contract for refusing to cover litigation costs.—
Winston Cho,
HollywoodReporter,
7 May 2026
Verb
-
Bass defended her administration’s handling of homelessness, pointing to declining homelessness counts and the city’s Inside Safe program, while criticizing Raman’s record on police hiring and past votes against some encampment enforcement measures near schools and other sensitive sites.—
Teresa Liu,
Daily News,
8 May 2026
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Poverty, lack of transportation to school and mental health struggles contribute to absenteeism and declining enrollment across San Diego County.—
Jemma Stephenson,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
7 May 2026
Verb
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Common laundry habits — ignoring dryer vent buildup, leaving wet clothes in the washer, using hot water on everything and skipping the washing machine gasket — can damage appliances, ruin fabrics and even create a fire risk.—
Lauren Jarvis-Gibson,
Miami Herald,
12 May 2026
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Among other things, ABC argued that it was being singled out for regulatory action while ignoring radio talk shows, which also are covered by the rule, and routinely feature candidates.—
Ted Johnson,
Deadline,
11 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Spurning.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spurning. Accessed 14 May. 2026.
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