as in refusing
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 turning down
At the time, she had also been accepted to Juilliard and considered turning down the role.
—
Hannah Parry
amanda Castro, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 Sep. 2025
But if United chose this path by signing two big-money attacking midfielders this summer, so too did Fernandes by turning down Al Hilal’s offer to play in the Saudi Pro League.
—Mark Critchley, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2025
Can states risk turning down massive economic development investments?
—Delaney Nolan, Fortune, 24 Aug. 2025
Counsell jumped from the Brewers to the Cubs two years ago, landing a precedent-setting contract in Chicago while turning down an attractive offer to stay in Milwaukee.
—Phil Rogers, Forbes.com, 8 Aug. 2025
Many job applicants are turning down offers, worried that the positions are not stable and uneasy with the overall direction of the agency, according to internal documents examined by ProPublica.
—David Armstrong, ProPublica, 8 Aug. 2025
Neeta Satam | Bloomberg | Getty Images Some 3,200 Boeing defense unit workers went on strike for the first time in almost three decades early Monday after turning down a contract offer with the company.
—Leslie Josephs, CNBC, 4 Aug. 2025
Hannah Parry
amanda Castro, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 Sep. 2025
But if United chose this path by signing two big-money attacking midfielders this summer, so too did Fernandes by turning down Al Hilal’s offer to play in the Saudi Pro League.
—Mark Critchley, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2025
Can states risk turning down massive economic development investments?
—Delaney Nolan, Fortune, 24 Aug. 2025
Counsell jumped from the Brewers to the Cubs two years ago, landing a precedent-setting contract in Chicago while turning down an attractive offer to stay in Milwaukee.
—Phil Rogers, Forbes.com, 8 Aug. 2025
Many job applicants are turning down offers, worried that the positions are not stable and uneasy with the overall direction of the agency, according to internal documents examined by ProPublica.
—David Armstrong, ProPublica, 8 Aug. 2025
Neeta Satam | Bloomberg | Getty Images Some 3,200 Boeing defense unit workers went on strike for the first time in almost three decades early Monday after turning down a contract offer with the company.
—Leslie Josephs, CNBC, 4 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for turning down
Verb
-
The rest of the indictment remains, with the judge refusing to dismiss another second-degree murder charge, to which Mangione has pleaded not guilty.—
Aaron Katersky,
ABC News,
20 Sep. 2025
-
Ignoring the rule of law and refusing to provide evidence or due process makes this an execution.—
Anna Commander,
MSNBC Newsweek,
20 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Tesla's world class at rejecting how things were done previously.—
James Morris,
Forbes.com,
13 Sep. 2025
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The roughly 3,200 members of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) District 837 went on strike on August 4 after rejecting the company’s previous offer.—
Reuters 20 min ago,
CNN Money,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Investors eventually demanded their money back, causing Artamonov to return less than $400,000 by paying original investors with money from new investors or by declining to reimburse them at all, the indictment said.—
Dave Smith,
Fortune,
19 Sep. 2025
-
Still, any further restrictions on shots by ACIP could have trickle-down effects, further depressing already declining immunization rates for vaccine-preventable diseases and raising the risk of outbreaks.—
Annika Kim Constantino,
CNBC,
18 Sep. 2025
Verb
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That’s still true now, even as that back has a degenerative disorder that led to weeks missed in training camp and has this 37-year-old dirting the ball in the face of rushers and passing up lanes to rush for touchdowns.—
Nate Atkins,
New York Times,
15 Sep. 2025
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In fact, passing up the Chiefs is the team’s top challenge entering Harbaugh’s second season.—
Tom Krasovic,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Although he’s been linked to other teams already, one idea worth throwing out there is Kevin Love.—
Bennett Durando,
Denver Post,
7 Sep. 2025
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And at the same time, the same thing is happening at the top of the talent stack – big tech is fighting for top talent in AI and semiconductor applications, throwing out absurd pay packages and huge bonus checks to try to steal talent.—
Steven Dudash,
Forbes.com,
2 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Turning down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/turning%20down. Accessed 21 Sep. 2025.
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