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
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
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
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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for turned down
Verb
-
So far, Aoun has refused to engage in face-to-face discussions with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, demanding a complete halt to Israeli fire on the country.—
Mustafa Qadri,
CNN Money,
8 May 2026
-
Since officials in the Canary Islands refused to allow Hondius to dock in Tenerife, the boat will instead anchor offshore.—
Mark Osborne,
CBS News,
8 May 2026
Verb
-
While Raman portrayed herself as the focus of attacks from both opponents, Bass’ campaign rejected that framing as a distraction from her debate performance and City Council record.—
Teresa Liu,
Daily News,
8 May 2026
-
Last year, the governor rejected the legislation banning algorithms that had been used to hike rent prices in Denver and elsewhere, despite a letter from the House Democratic caucus urging him to sign it.—
Seth Klamann,
Denver Post,
7 May 2026
Verb
-
After 16 years of one-party rule, the cost of living has been driven out of reach for working families, and quality of life has declined in too many communities.—
Steve Hilton,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
2 May 2026
-
Seton Hall did more with less under Shaheen Holloway, but didn’t collect enough strong wins outside of the conference to flip onto the right side of the March Madness bubble and declined any other postseason invitations.—
Joe Arruda,
Hartford Courant,
2 May 2026
Verb
-
Calhoun has been passed up by Dominick Kelly, for now, at cornerback.—
Cameron Teague Robinson,
New York Times,
1 May 2026
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The team passed up Oregon’s Dillon Thienemen for Freeling in the first round, and Morgan decided to wait until the fifth round to dial up a safety for selection.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
27 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Turned down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/turned%20down. Accessed 9 May. 2026.
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