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
But some single men turn to surrogacy because they were turned down by adoption agencies, said ABC News.
—
Harriet Marsden, TheWeek, 23 Apr. 2026
Chase-Riboud was one of the first artists asked to participate in the pavilion, in addition to American photographer William Eggleston, who also turned down the offer.
—News Desk, Artforum, 22 Apr. 2026
Four repair services turned down the case.
—Julian Lucas, New Yorker, 20 Apr. 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, Mancuso said.
—R. Christian Smith, Chicago Tribune, 20 Apr. 2026
Intel, led by former CEO Paul Otellini, turned down an offer from Apple to make chips for the first iPhone.
—Chris Anderson, USA Today, 15 Apr. 2026
The Ukrainian president has proposed a halt to fighting on a number of occasions, but has been turned down by Moscow.
—Reuters, NBC news, 10 Apr. 2026
The doctor turned down that offer for proof in a hurry.
—Dr. C. E. Kuschel, Outdoor Life, 9 Apr. 2026
Olivia said they were turned down by the district multiple times.
—Cheryl Fiandaca, CBS News, 8 Apr. 2026
Harriet Marsden, TheWeek, 23 Apr. 2026
Chase-Riboud was one of the first artists asked to participate in the pavilion, in addition to American photographer William Eggleston, who also turned down the offer.
—News Desk, Artforum, 22 Apr. 2026
Four repair services turned down the case.
—Julian Lucas, New Yorker, 20 Apr. 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, Mancuso said.
—R. Christian Smith, Chicago Tribune, 20 Apr. 2026
Intel, led by former CEO Paul Otellini, turned down an offer from Apple to make chips for the first iPhone.
—Chris Anderson, USA Today, 15 Apr. 2026
The Ukrainian president has proposed a halt to fighting on a number of occasions, but has been turned down by Moscow.
—Reuters, NBC news, 10 Apr. 2026
The doctor turned down that offer for proof in a hurry.
—Dr. C. E. Kuschel, Outdoor Life, 9 Apr. 2026
Olivia said they were turned down by the district multiple times.
—Cheryl Fiandaca, CBS News, 8 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for turned down
Verb
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Meanwhile, Larysa was stuck in Belarus, a country allied with Russia that Nataliia despised and had refused to move to, despite her daughter’s many pleas.—
Lizzie Johnson,
New Yorker,
25 Apr. 2026
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The Nuggets refused to engage, declining to respond on the off day.—
Troy Renck,
Denver Post,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
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At one point, Iran asked to move its games to Mexico, but that request was rejected.—
Anne M. Peterson,
Chicago Tribune,
1 May 2026
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Voters in a 1986 retention election rejected Rose Bird, the chief justice of the California Supreme Court, and two liberal colleagues, over dissatisfaction with decisions overturning numerous death penalty sentences.—
Sharon Bernstein,
Sacbee.com,
30 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Westerheide declined to answer follow-up questions about the Patton autopsy.—
Kelly Davis,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
26 Apr. 2026
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That tax collector, Cheryl Blogoslawski, was suspended from her job in January, not long after a new mayor, Democrat Bobby Sanchez, took office after Stewart declined to seek a seventh two-year term.—
Kevin Rennie,
Hartford Courant,
25 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Östlund also passed up a prime scoring chance late in the period.—
Fluto Shinzawa,
New York Times,
26 Apr. 2026
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Flea markets offer one-of-a-kind finds that are hard to replace if passed up.—
Tessa Cooper,
The Spruce,
25 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Turned down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/turned%20down. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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