as in refuses
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 spurns
Dexter Filkins, New Yorker, 12 Jan. 2026
Verb
As the President insults allies, woos dictators, and spurns long-standing commitments, Rubio has to convince his counterparts that America will not entirely abandon its friends.
—Dexter Filkins, New Yorker, 12 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spurns
Verb
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At least, that’s what some people are saying, in a photographic meme that’s been spreading around the internet for years and refuses to die.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
26 Mar. 2026
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Nothing is quite as annoying as a brand that refuses to adjust its fits to curvy bodies—but that’s not an issue here.—
Jake Henry Smith,
Glamour,
24 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Israel denies charges of a genocide and rejects the boycott and divestment movement.—
Gloria Pazmino,
CNN Money,
23 Mar. 2026
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The mother denied intentionally blocking the visits, claiming the child refuses to attend because Rocha rejects his transgender identity and does not use his new name, according to court documents.—
Alexandra Koch,
FOXNews.com,
22 Mar. 2026
Verb
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India and China bore the brunt of the visa declines.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
24 Mar. 2026
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The result is a smaller but more engaged core market — one that is spending more per household even as casual participation declines.—
Asaf Elia-Shalev,
Sun Sentinel,
23 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Discord, confident as ever, ignores this warning.—
Jason P. Frank,
Vulture,
21 Mar. 2026
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Repeatedly promoting the scientific but impractical viewpoint of neurologists and sleep experts completely ignores how humans live in the real world.—
Letters to the Editor,
Washington Post,
16 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Spurns.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spurns. Accessed 26 Mar. 2026.
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