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
Shortly after turning down the big job, her career took on a whole new direction.
—
Kemi Alemoru, Glamour, 14 Mar. 2026
No one is turning down the heat.
—Los Angeles Times, 5 Mar. 2026
His 47 percent conversion rate on those attempts isn’t quite high enough to warrant turning down layups that could lead to three-point plays and put opponents into foul trouble.
—James L. Edwards Iii, New York Times, 2 Mar. 2026
March 21 – April 19 The universe is turning down the volume.
—Tarot.com, Baltimore Sun, 2 Mar. 2026
Aries March 21 – April 19 The universe is turning down the volume.
—Tarot.com, Hartford Courant, 2 Mar. 2026
Such a visit could be the ticket to turning down the temperature in a rapidly accelerating sub-regional showdown whose costs will be borne by the sub-region’s approximately 200 million people.
—Cameron Hudson, semafor.com, 25 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
Kemi Alemoru, Glamour, 14 Mar. 2026
No one is turning down the heat.
—Los Angeles Times, 5 Mar. 2026
His 47 percent conversion rate on those attempts isn’t quite high enough to warrant turning down layups that could lead to three-point plays and put opponents into foul trouble.
—James L. Edwards Iii, New York Times, 2 Mar. 2026
March 21 – April 19 The universe is turning down the volume.
—Tarot.com, Baltimore Sun, 2 Mar. 2026
Aries March 21 – April 19 The universe is turning down the volume.
—Tarot.com, Hartford Courant, 2 Mar. 2026
Such a visit could be the ticket to turning down the temperature in a rapidly accelerating sub-regional showdown whose costs will be borne by the sub-region’s approximately 200 million people.
—Cameron Hudson, semafor.com, 25 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for turning down
Verb
-
The creation of a community safety agency was a core campaign promise for Mamdani, who broke with his opponents by refusing to call for an expansion of the police department.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
19 Mar. 2026
-
After Thompson kept refusing, Morgan dragged her out of the SUV.—
Bo Evans,
CBS News,
19 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The city was aware that rejecting the contract put at least $90 million in grant funding at risk, Councilwoman Sarah Parady said in December.—
Shelly Bradbury,
Denver Post,
19 Mar. 2026
-
Easier, maybe, to imagine Blume rejecting the general proposition of an author biography, which seeks to root a subject’s work in their specific experiences, dislodging them from a supposedly neutral or unmarked position.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
19 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Haithcock said schools have been financially hamstrung since Act 10 – the Scott Walker-era landmark law in 2011 that curtailed union bargaining power and cut take-home pay for workers – especially amid declining student enrollment.—
Natalie Eilbert,
jsonline.com,
19 Mar. 2026
-
While an unconventional choice for the typically squeaky-clean Bachelor franchise, a soft-swinging TikTok influencer turned reality star at first sounded like the 180 the franchise desperately needed after years of declining ratings and a seemingly outdated format amid modern dating culture.—
Jodi Guglielmi,
Rolling Stone,
19 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Redick pointed to Luka Doncic’s season-high 15 assists, which were lost in the noise of the Slovenian star passing up a potential game-winning 3-pointer.—
Benjamin Royer,
Oc Register,
27 Feb. 2026
-
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
Verb
-
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
-
Winter can be tough on houseplants, but don't go throwing out a dead-looking plant just yet.—
Alexandra Jones,
The Spruce,
21 Feb. 2026
-
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
Cite this Entry
“Turning down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/turning%20down. Accessed 21 Mar. 2026.
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