as in refused
to show unwillingness to accept, do, engage in, or agree to
I'm afraid that I will have to turn down your invitation
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Recent Examples of turned down
Plus, Superjumbo has been holding back on things like listening parties and has turned down artists that wanted to do in-store performances because of the limited space, according to Mancuso.
—
R. Christian Smith, Chicago Tribune, 1 May 2026
The deal Hackling turned down would have required a guilty plea and included a 30-year prison sentence, suspended after service of 15 years, and five years of probation.
—Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 1 May 2026
The pair had been friends for years and Stilley, a South Carolina native, had also turned down Bravo opportunities in the past.
—Brian Moylan, Vulture, 1 May 2026
The following week, doctors turned down the ECMO to test her heart function.
—Wendy Grossman Kantor, PEOPLE, 1 May 2026
The board turned down the move to conduct its own investigation, reasoning there’s no need for it because top state education officials are already handling it.
—Natalie La Roche Pietri, Miami Herald, 30 Apr. 2026
This year’s United States Pavilion will feature sculptor Alma Allen, after sculptor Barbara Chase-Riboud and photographer William Eggleston both turned down offers to participate.
—News Desk, Artforum, 30 Apr. 2026
But some single men turn to surrogacy because they were turned down by adoption agencies, said ABC News.
—Harriet Marsden, TheWeek, 23 Apr. 2026
Four repair services turned down the case.
—Julian Lucas, New Yorker, 20 Apr. 2026
R. Christian Smith, Chicago Tribune, 1 May 2026
The deal Hackling turned down would have required a guilty plea and included a 30-year prison sentence, suspended after service of 15 years, and five years of probation.
—Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 1 May 2026
The pair had been friends for years and Stilley, a South Carolina native, had also turned down Bravo opportunities in the past.
—Brian Moylan, Vulture, 1 May 2026
The following week, doctors turned down the ECMO to test her heart function.
—Wendy Grossman Kantor, PEOPLE, 1 May 2026
The board turned down the move to conduct its own investigation, reasoning there’s no need for it because top state education officials are already handling it.
—Natalie La Roche Pietri, Miami Herald, 30 Apr. 2026
This year’s United States Pavilion will feature sculptor Alma Allen, after sculptor Barbara Chase-Riboud and photographer William Eggleston both turned down offers to participate.
—News Desk, Artforum, 30 Apr. 2026
But some single men turn to surrogacy because they were turned down by adoption agencies, said ABC News.
—Harriet Marsden, TheWeek, 23 Apr. 2026
Four repair services turned down the case.
—Julian Lucas, New Yorker, 20 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for turned down
Verb
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During the last art Biennale, Israel’s participating artist Ruth Patir refused to open the show at the national Pavilion, saying the doors would remain shut until a hostage agreement and ceasefire deal in Gaza were reached.—
Jacqui Palumbo,
CNN Money,
1 May 2026
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But the reserves refused to cooperate with that notion.—
Troy Renck,
Denver Post,
1 May 2026
Verb
-
At one point, Iran asked to move its games to Mexico, but that request was rejected.—
Anne M. Peterson,
Chicago Tribune,
1 May 2026
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Voters in a 1986 retention election rejected Rose Bird, the chief justice of the California Supreme Court, and two liberal colleagues, over dissatisfaction with decisions overturning numerous death penalty sentences.—
Sharon Bernstein,
Sacbee.com,
30 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Westerheide declined to answer follow-up questions about the Patton autopsy.—
Kelly Davis,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
26 Apr. 2026
-
That tax collector, Cheryl Blogoslawski, was suspended from her job in January, not long after a new mayor, Democrat Bobby Sanchez, took office after Stewart declined to seek a seventh two-year term.—
Kevin Rennie,
Hartford Courant,
25 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Östlund also passed up a prime scoring chance late in the period.—
Fluto Shinzawa,
New York Times,
26 Apr. 2026
-
Flea markets offer one-of-a-kind finds that are hard to replace if passed up.—
Tessa Cooper,
The Spruce,
25 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Turned down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/turned%20down. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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