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
Fletcher also said he was disappointed in the FA for where the game took place after City hosted the final at their academy ground — Joie Stadium — instead of the first team’s Etihad stadium and turned down an offer from United to host it at Old Trafford.
—
Chris McKenna, New York Times, 15 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
Sterling, meanwhile, wouldn’t have turned down acceptance into Monument Park had he been given the chance.
—Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 5 May 2026
Hold on, you’ve been turned down for parts by your own dad?
—Benjamin Svetkey, HollywoodReporter, 4 May 2026
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
Chris McKenna, New York Times, 15 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
Sterling, meanwhile, wouldn’t have turned down acceptance into Monument Park had he been given the chance.
—Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 5 May 2026
Hold on, you’ve been turned down for parts by your own dad?
—Benjamin Svetkey, HollywoodReporter, 4 May 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for turned down
Verb
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California officials have flatly refused.—
James Ward,
USA Today,
15 May 2026
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Since 2008, Medicare has refused to reimburse hospitals for the additional cost of treating many infections that develop after admission.—
Dara-Abasi Ita,
Forbes.com,
15 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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Kazarian declined to comment further on Friday afternoon.—
Clara Harter,
Los Angeles Times,
9 May 2026
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The Padres placed Cruz on the restricted list in mid-March and have declined further comment.—
Alex Riggins,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
9 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 16 May. 2026.
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