as in refuses
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 turns down
If a local school board turns down a charter, the organizers can appeal to the OC Board, which covers the whole county.
—
John Seiler, Oc Register, 13 May 2026
May 14, 2014 Steve Kerr is hired Kerr turns down an offer from the New York Knicks to work with Phil Jackson, his former coach with the Chicago Bulls, to sign a five-year, $25 million contract to coach the Warriors.
—Jerry McDonald, Mercury News, 10 May 2026
When Towns turns down 3-point shots, the Hawks win.
—James L. Edwards Iii, New York Times, 26 Apr. 2026
And there’s another anatomical quirk in our eyeballs that turns down our perception of blue specifically in the center of our vision.
—Nora Bradford, Scientific American, 23 Mar. 2026
But everyone seemed to agree that this year’s event was about more than just linking turns down the snowy slopes.
—James Edward Mills, Outside, 15 Mar. 2026
Stung by his firing from The Lovely Bones, Wahlberg turns down The Fighter, thinking the film won’t be a big enough splash to turn his career around.
—Joe Reid, Vulture, 13 Mar. 2026
Sentimental Value stars Stellan Skarsgård as an aging film director whose attempts to reconnect with his estranged daughters Nora (Renate Reinsve) and Agnes (Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas) are made difficult after Nora turns down a part in his next movie.
—Tommy McArdle, PEOPLE, 5 Jan. 2026
Later, Taylor turns down a job offer that would bring him back to the Dillon Panthers so his wife, Tami (Britton), can pursue her dream job in Philadelphia.
—Randall Colburn, EW.com, 5 Aug. 2025
John Seiler, Oc Register, 13 May 2026
May 14, 2014 Steve Kerr is hired Kerr turns down an offer from the New York Knicks to work with Phil Jackson, his former coach with the Chicago Bulls, to sign a five-year, $25 million contract to coach the Warriors.
—Jerry McDonald, Mercury News, 10 May 2026
When Towns turns down 3-point shots, the Hawks win.
—James L. Edwards Iii, New York Times, 26 Apr. 2026
And there’s another anatomical quirk in our eyeballs that turns down our perception of blue specifically in the center of our vision.
—Nora Bradford, Scientific American, 23 Mar. 2026
But everyone seemed to agree that this year’s event was about more than just linking turns down the snowy slopes.
—James Edward Mills, Outside, 15 Mar. 2026
Stung by his firing from The Lovely Bones, Wahlberg turns down The Fighter, thinking the film won’t be a big enough splash to turn his career around.
—Joe Reid, Vulture, 13 Mar. 2026
Sentimental Value stars Stellan Skarsgård as an aging film director whose attempts to reconnect with his estranged daughters Nora (Renate Reinsve) and Agnes (Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas) are made difficult after Nora turns down a part in his next movie.
—Tommy McArdle, PEOPLE, 5 Jan. 2026
Later, Taylor turns down a job offer that would bring him back to the Dillon Panthers so his wife, Tami (Britton), can pursue her dream job in Philadelphia.
—Randall Colburn, EW.com, 5 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for turns down
Verb
-
The film exists because the dead deserve to be witnessed and because the families inside Iran, who cannot speak, deserve someone outside who refuses to forget.—
Anna Tingley,
Variety,
2 June 2026
-
Walt asks Jesse to kill him, but Jesse refuses and tells him to do it himself.—
Brianna Zigler,
Entertainment Weekly,
2 June 2026
Verb
-
By the time a debt collector calls or a lender rejects your loan, an identity thief may have been using your information for months.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
2 June 2026
-
Pamela, a servant, rejects the advances of her wealthy employer and thereby induces him to marry her.—
Becca Rothfeld,
New Yorker,
1 June 2026
Verb
-
When a substantial fraction of that talent pool declines even to consider military service, no signing bonus will close the gap.—
Robert Krasner,
STAT,
1 June 2026
-
And yet there's been no change in women's biology, or the age at which fertility declines.—
Lesley Stahl,
CBS News,
31 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Turns down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/turns%20down. Accessed 8 Jun. 2026.
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