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
When asked about the best techniques for defusing tense encounters while still maintaining the right to protect, civil rights advocates in Connecticut are generally recommending online training in turning down the heat on face-to-face encounters with ICE agents or counter-protestors.
—
Don Stacom, Hartford Courant, 3 Feb. 2026
Torquing and turning down a mountain at 85 miles per hour without an ACL – its sole anatomical purpose is to connect the femur to the tibia and protect the bones from shifting – is, at best, not recommended and, at worst, slightly reckless.
—Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 3 Feb. 2026
The kind of boss who would crawl inside your abdomen instead of turning down the air-conditioning, Bradley suddenly can’t function without Linda.
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 26 Jan. 2026
Deep into stoppage time, fans vented their spleen at the sight of Dominik Szoboszlai turning down the chance to cross into the box, instead opting to pass sideways to Ibrahima Konate.
—James Pearce, New York Times, 2 Jan. 2026
Born in Laurel, Mississippi, on November 29, 1935, Ladd was interested in acting from a young age, even turning down a college scholarship to pursue the craft.
—Alejandra Gularte, Vulture, 3 Nov. 2025
Inside the virtual reality world, patients can interact with other people, walk throughout the house party or bar, and even practice turning down an offer of alcohol or drugs.
—Ciara McCarthy, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 29 Oct. 2025
Skarsgård has returned to play Pennywise, a villain that King fans agreed the actor embodied to perfection, after initially turning down the chance to continue the character.
—James Hibberd, HollywoodReporter, 22 Oct. 2025
But a chat message from Washington to a colleague, released to KUOW and ProPublica last week through a public records request, spells out additional reasons for turning down Daugaard’s proposal.
—Ashley Hiruko, ProPublica, 6 Oct. 2025
Don Stacom, Hartford Courant, 3 Feb. 2026
Torquing and turning down a mountain at 85 miles per hour without an ACL – its sole anatomical purpose is to connect the femur to the tibia and protect the bones from shifting – is, at best, not recommended and, at worst, slightly reckless.
—Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 3 Feb. 2026
The kind of boss who would crawl inside your abdomen instead of turning down the air-conditioning, Bradley suddenly can’t function without Linda.
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 26 Jan. 2026
Deep into stoppage time, fans vented their spleen at the sight of Dominik Szoboszlai turning down the chance to cross into the box, instead opting to pass sideways to Ibrahima Konate.
—James Pearce, New York Times, 2 Jan. 2026
Born in Laurel, Mississippi, on November 29, 1935, Ladd was interested in acting from a young age, even turning down a college scholarship to pursue the craft.
—Alejandra Gularte, Vulture, 3 Nov. 2025
Inside the virtual reality world, patients can interact with other people, walk throughout the house party or bar, and even practice turning down an offer of alcohol or drugs.
—Ciara McCarthy, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 29 Oct. 2025
Skarsgård has returned to play Pennywise, a villain that King fans agreed the actor embodied to perfection, after initially turning down the chance to continue the character.
—James Hibberd, HollywoodReporter, 22 Oct. 2025
But a chat message from Washington to a colleague, released to KUOW and ProPublica last week through a public records request, spells out additional reasons for turning down Daugaard’s proposal.
—Ashley Hiruko, ProPublica, 6 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for turning down
Verb
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Most of the time, a child who is shoving at the playground or refusing to take turns with the blocks at daycare is just testing the boundaries of acceptable behavior.—
Melissa Willets,
Parents,
5 Feb. 2026
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The Clintons agreed to testify later this month after initially refusing and facing a potential contempt vote.—
Terry Collins,
USA Today,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
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In Gingles’ apartment, investigators found a letter from the DMV in Texas, dated less than two weeks before the murders, rejecting an application for a Texas certificate of title for a vehicle.—
Shira Moolten,
Sun Sentinel,
13 Feb. 2026
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Even Republican districts are rejecting the rapid buildout of ICE detention facilities in their communities.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
13 Feb. 2026
Verb
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According to the Iowa Cancer Registry, lung cancer incidence rates are declining slower in Iowa than in other states.—
Cami Koons,
Iowa Capital Dispatch,
5 Feb. 2026
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Measles-vaccination rates have been steadily declining for several years; since last January, the country has logged its two largest measles epidemics in more than three decades.—
Katherine J. Wu,
The Atlantic,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
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But Schottenheimer’s reason for frequently passing up field goals for touchdowns had some logic behind it.—
Tim Cowlishaw,
Dallas Morning News,
27 Jan. 2026
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Wembanyama has been passing up many reasonable 3-point looks in the preseason and only taking wide-open ones.—
Jared Weiss,
New York Times,
17 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The zone-heavy Chargers forced Hurts to beat them by throwing over the middle — a region Hurts attacks half as often as his peers — and Hurts was inconsistent.—
Brooks Kubena,
New York Times,
9 Jan. 2026
Verb
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But talking loudly and throwing out numbers that give the impression of action without many of these actions taking place are not what a respectable leader does.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
6 Feb. 2026
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Conservative appeals courts have signaled skepticism of some trial judges’ rulings, with appellate courts throwing out injunctions as overly broad and vague, suggesting judicial restraint regarding the scope of limitations on executive immigration authority.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
5 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Turning down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/turning%20down. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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