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
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
And of course, with TV contracts, no one ever turns down the money.
—Stewart Mandel, New York Times, 10 Sep. 2025
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
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
And of course, with TV contracts, no one ever turns down the money.
—Stewart Mandel, New York Times, 10 Sep. 2025
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
-
And Avery refuses to let that happen.—
Ryan Wilusz,
USA Today,
15 Apr. 2026
-
But the porch light, with only one working bulb, refuses to show us the perfect curves of her aloneness.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
14 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Against a backdrop of tennis courts, luxury hotels, and colonial privilege, simmering tensions erupt as Lan’s brother Tran rejects his wealthy family’s collaboration with the French to join Ho Chi Minh’s revolutionary cause, setting off an assassination that changes everything.—
Todd Spangler,
Variety,
15 Apr. 2026
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Miami summarily rejects anything resembling tanking because of a long-standing organizational philosophy that isn’t going to be revisited.—
Barry Jackson,
Miami Herald,
10 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
At the same time, the USPS has become increasingly dependent on package delivery as first-class mail declines, making large customers like Amazon even more important.—
Barbara Booth,
CNBC,
19 Apr. 2026
-
Brandenburg-Koch declines to talk specifically about the Busfield case.—
Laura Trujillo,
USA Today,
15 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Turns down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/turns%20down. Accessed 21 Apr. 2026.
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