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
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
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 play is dominated by Lithgow’s towering portrait of the artist as a weary old giant who refuses to concede an inch of ground.—
Theater Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
29 Apr. 2026
-
Others rely on patience, research, and the fact that the ground itself refuses to be reduced to one easy headline.—
Matthew Kayser,
USA Today,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
In an oppositional reading, the reader understands the dominant ideology expressed in the text but rejects it and interprets the text in an alternative way.—
Shepherd Mpofu,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
27 Apr. 2026
-
And with its bare Instagram presence, Antigone rejects polish for rawness, allowing the strength of its curation to speak for itself.—
Kat Chen,
Condé Nast Traveler,
25 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The Bears are looking for tax breaks and incentives, but all that will do the Bears no good if part of their fan support declines.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
25 Apr. 2026
-
The lottery will also assign waitlist positions to the remaining students in tier 2 and below if a student declines the funding.—
Mateo Rosiles,
USA Today,
23 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Turns down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/turns%20down. Accessed 3 May. 2026.
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