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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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 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
-
There’s no denying that Caurón leans into the sentimental here and elsewhere, yet there’s a strong gust of catharsis that García Treviño transmits as Liborio’s bloodied body refuses to surrender.—
Carlos Aguilar,
Variety,
18 Mar. 2026
-
But this team refuses to follow that path.—
Julia Poe,
Chicago Tribune,
17 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Social media giants urged to tighten child safety after UK rejects blanket ban for teens.—
Ian King,
CNBC,
18 Mar. 2026
-
Although many manufacturers have started rolling out alternatives containing less of the dangerous silica, the industry rejects assertions that the high-silica products can’t be handled safely.—
Ethan Baron,
Mercury News,
16 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Enrollment declines, class size law The plan was put in motion when Samuels was serving as the local superintendent of District 3.—
Cayla Bamberger,
New York Daily News,
15 Mar. 2026
-
Gradual buys preserve flexibility if the market declines further.—
Jeff Marks,
CNBC,
12 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Discord, confident as ever, ignores this warning.—
Jason P. Frank,
Vulture,
21 Mar. 2026
-
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 24 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
