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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The extended rave scene establishes the tone in a film that refuses to parallel park into a specific genre or, for that matter, stick to storytelling norms and expectations.—
Randy Myers,
Mercury News,
25 Feb. 2026
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However, when an organisation like BAFTA, with its own long history of systemic racism, refuses to acknowledge the harm inflicted on both the Black and disabled communities and offer an appropriate apology, remaining involved would be tantamount to condoning its behaviour.—
Alex Ritman,
Variety,
24 Feb. 2026
Verb
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And top-down impositions could also be painted as less democratic, because the state essentially rejects the self-determination of local communities to oppose new developments.—
Greg Rosalsky,
NPR,
24 Feb. 2026
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While Russia rejects the court’s jurisdiction, attacks on objects indispensable to civilian survival are prohibited under the Geneva Conventions and customary international law.—
Bloomberg Opinion,
Twin Cities,
24 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Badgett added that vitamin D production may also decrease as kidney function declines with age, especially in older adults with chronic kidney disease.—
Maggie O'Neill,
Verywell Health,
23 Feb. 2026
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The estrogen hormone naturally declines with age and when levels drop during menopause, symptoms can surge.—
Jacqueline Howard,
CNN Money,
23 Feb. 2026
Verb
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But focusing exclusively on the external threat from Iran ignores the internal threat Netanyahu’s government poses to Israel and its standing as a rule-of-law democracy and unified society.—
Thomas L. Friedman,
Mercury News,
21 Feb. 2026
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Calling this anything less than professional education ignores the training, regulation, and expertise the role requires.—
David Kilmnick,
New York Daily News,
21 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Spurns.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spurns. Accessed 1 Mar. 2026.
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