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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Russia demands Ukraine cede eastern territory and renounce NATO membership; Kyiv refuses to surrender land without security guarantees.—
Jamey Keaten,
Los Angeles Times,
18 Feb. 2026
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The New York mayor acknowledges that tax hikes are painful but refuses to meaningfully cut spending.—
Editorial Board,
Washington Post,
18 Feb. 2026
Verb
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My child automatically rejects paying for parking, especially when there are other options.—
Harvey Levine,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
18 Feb. 2026
-
Hunter-Torricke rejects these criticisms.—
Billy Perrigo,
Time,
17 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Their research and resulting report, for instance, found that over the past five recessions, the total GDP declines from dips in tourism averaged a 10% dip.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
15 Feb. 2026
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When the estrogen hormone declines during perimenopause, the body’s insulin sensitivity decreases, too, which affects overall metabolism.—
Alexa Mikhail,
Flow Space,
13 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Once a frame is captured, the chip ignores the full image and registers only moving objects.—
Sujita Sinha,
Interesting Engineering,
11 Feb. 2026
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College play can now pay a lot more and prove much more marketable, given that media largely ignores the minor leagues.—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
10 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Spurns.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spurns. Accessed 22 Feb. 2026.
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