as in to refuse
to show unwillingness to accept, do, engage in, or agree to
fiercely independent, the elderly couple spurned all offers of financial help
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in refusal
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of spurn
CBS News,
18 June 2026
Mbappe spurned two openings, first mis-controlling very early in the game when picked out by Olise and then denied well by Senegal goalkeeper Edouard Mendy.
—
Adam Crafton,
New York Times,
16 June 2026
But when a suspicious blaze kills their mom and dad, Guinevere carries on the legacy Ennis spurns, until the past erupts into the present, revealing terrifying truths about who their parents really were.
—
Carly Tagen-Dye,
PEOPLE,
7 June 2026
The New York Knicks’ president, a stout, taciturn man, surly about the mouth, who spurns engagement with the media but whose competence no contemporary Knicks follower can gainsay, stands in a crowd, surrounded by cheering fans.
—
Vinson Cunningham,
New Yorker,
2 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for spurn
Verb
Bo Bichette made his first appearance in Philadelphia since spurning the Phillies to sign with the Mets last offseason.
—
CBS News,
18 June 2026
Mbappe spurned two openings, first mis-controlling very early in the game when picked out by Olise and then denied well by Senegal goalkeeper Edouard Mendy.
—
Adam Crafton,
New York Times,
16 June 2026
But when a suspicious blaze kills their mom and dad, Guinevere carries on the legacy Ennis spurns, until the past erupts into the present, revealing terrifying truths about who their parents really were.
—
Carly Tagen-Dye,
PEOPLE,
7 June 2026
The New York Knicks’ president, a stout, taciturn man, surly about the mouth, who spurns engagement with the media but whose competence no contemporary Knicks follower can gainsay, stands in a crowd, surrounded by cheering fans.
—
Vinson Cunningham,
New Yorker,
2 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for spurn
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spurn
Verb
-
Wurth saw two more physicians who refused to discuss hormones before a urologist started her on estrogen gel, oral progesterone and a vaginal estrogen cream.
-
The man had a gun and refused to drop it when ordered to by police, the sheriff said.
Noun
-
The Ducks have seven days to exercise their right of first refusal on the player, per the NHL collective bargaining agreement.
-
Republican hardliners jammed up the House floor this week, in part because of congressional leadership's refusal to attach a version of the election bill, dubbed the SAVE America Act, to the National Defense Authorization Act.
Verb
-
Those seeking to stop the roundup reject almost all of the federal agencies’ claims, from the size of the herd to the notion that the horses cause ecological damage.
-
While state studies have criticized the state’s education governance model, voters have rejected at least four attempts dating back to 1928 to reform the position.
Noun
-
Despite the Reina Sofía’s many refusals to lend the work to various institutions around the world, its rebuff of the Guggenheim’s request carries a particular sting because the Basque Country has long held that the painting belongs in the place where the depicted tragedy occurred.
-
The latest rebuff of state overreach was the dismissal last week of the highly questionable felony case against respected Waukegan City Clerk Janet Kilkelly brought by the Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office.
Verb
-
After years of declining sales, American Girl dolls are seeing a resurgence.
-
In May, during a tense commission meeting, a majority of commissioners declined to give her a raise after her first year on the job.
Noun
-
After an often shaky start to his tenure leading the USMNT, the performance against Paraguay was a complete repudiation of his critics and validation of his tactics and managerial style.
-
His is a playground repertoire, a rolling repudiation of the safe option.
Cite this Entry
“Spurn.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spurn. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
