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
Emery and Linehan said that the conviction review unit’s decision to turned down the case led them to file their motion this month.
—
John Annese, New York Daily News, 22 May 2026
In April, the museum turned down the Guggenheim Bilbao’s request to borrow Pablo Picasso’s Guernica, one of the key jewels in its collection, prompting Basque officials to seek meetings with Spain’s culture minister, Ernest Urtasun, to determine whether the refusal could be overridden.
—News Desk, Artforum, 22 May 2026
Emelianenko had turned down offers from the UFC, but joined Coker’s promotion on a three-fight deal.
—Mark Puleo, New York Times, 21 May 2026
Brian Kemp, the two-term Republican governor of Georgia who turned down calls to run for the Senate seat himself this year, is supporting neither congressman.
—Halle Troadec, ABC News, 19 May 2026
The opportunity to interview these people would never have been turned down by other organizations, but there was also a sense that these dictators and terrorists and authoritarians were realizing that CNN were giving them this unfiltered platform to speak to the American people.
—Dana Taylor, USA Today, 13 May 2026
GameStop , eBay — Shares of GameStop dropped more than 2% after online retailer eBay on Tuesday turned down a $56 billion takeover bid from the electronics retailer over doubts about the financing of the deal.
—Fred Imbert,sarah Min, CNBC, 12 May 2026
In fact, one of the most joyful parts of the job for Victor Wisehart, the studio’s director of community outreach, is telling parents who’ve been repeatedly turned down that Chance 2 Dance would love to welcome them.
—Scott Maxwell, The Orlando Sentinel, 8 May 2026
Evans turned down the plea offer.
—Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 8 May 2026
John Annese, New York Daily News, 22 May 2026
In April, the museum turned down the Guggenheim Bilbao’s request to borrow Pablo Picasso’s Guernica, one of the key jewels in its collection, prompting Basque officials to seek meetings with Spain’s culture minister, Ernest Urtasun, to determine whether the refusal could be overridden.
—News Desk, Artforum, 22 May 2026
Emelianenko had turned down offers from the UFC, but joined Coker’s promotion on a three-fight deal.
—Mark Puleo, New York Times, 21 May 2026
Brian Kemp, the two-term Republican governor of Georgia who turned down calls to run for the Senate seat himself this year, is supporting neither congressman.
—Halle Troadec, ABC News, 19 May 2026
The opportunity to interview these people would never have been turned down by other organizations, but there was also a sense that these dictators and terrorists and authoritarians were realizing that CNN were giving them this unfiltered platform to speak to the American people.
—Dana Taylor, USA Today, 13 May 2026
GameStop , eBay — Shares of GameStop dropped more than 2% after online retailer eBay on Tuesday turned down a $56 billion takeover bid from the electronics retailer over doubts about the financing of the deal.
—Fred Imbert,sarah Min, CNBC, 12 May 2026
In fact, one of the most joyful parts of the job for Victor Wisehart, the studio’s director of community outreach, is telling parents who’ve been repeatedly turned down that Chance 2 Dance would love to welcome them.
—Scott Maxwell, The Orlando Sentinel, 8 May 2026
Evans turned down the plea offer.
—Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 8 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for turned down
Verb
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During Britney Spears’ DUI arrest in Ventura County in March, the pop star, at points, refused to comply with law enforcement, denying being under the influence and offering to make lasagna for officers rather than exit her car, video and reporting released by various outlets Thursday showed.—
Sean Campbell,
Sacbee.com,
22 May 2026
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But at check-in, Wood says employees questioned the family and refused to issue them passes.—
Christopher Edwards,
PEOPLE,
22 May 2026
Verb
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The comments came two weeks after the House rejected DeSantis’ push to pass bills to expand vaccine exemptions for children entering public schools and to install consumer-friendly regulations on artificial intelligence products and companies.—
Gray Rohrer,
Sun Sentinel,
15 May 2026
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Bianco launched a voter‑fraud investigation after a local group claimed the county counted roughly 46,000 more ballots than were received, a claim election officials rejected.—
James Ward,
USA Today,
15 May 2026
Verb
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Yolo County’s homeless population declined slightly over the past two years, but nearly two-thirds of the people counted in January were living outdoors as county leaders considered millions of dollars in cuts to the services many rely on.—
Daniel Lempres,
Sacbee.com,
16 May 2026
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Nearby homeowner Mike, who declined to provide his last name and lost his home in the 2017 Tubbs Fire, said the changing weather is a reminder of how quickly fire danger can escalate.—
Da Lin,
CBS News,
16 May 2026
Verb
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Most general manager candidates cannot afford to be picky, especially those on the older end of the spectrum who have been passed up for previous jobs.—
Alec Lewis,
New York Times,
6 May 2026
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Origin In 1976 Mattel passed up the opportunity to become the exclusive producer of Star Wars toys, which went on to become multimillion-dollar bestsellers.—
Sanat Pai RaikarAll,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
4 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Turned down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/turned%20down. Accessed 23 May. 2026.
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