turn down

British  

verb

1. to reduce (the volume or brightness) of (something)

   turn the radio down

2. to reject or refuse

3. to fold down (a collar, sheets on a bed, etc)

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adjective

1. (prenominal) capable of being or designed to be folded or doubled down

turn down Idioms  

1. Fold or double down, as in They always turn down your bed here , or Turn down your collar . [c. 1600]

2. Invert, as in She turned down her cards , or They turn down the glasses in the cupboard . [Mid-1700s]

3. Reject, fail to accept, as in They turned down his proposal , or Joe was turned down at four schools before he was finally accepted . [Late 1800s]

4. Diminish in volume, brightness, or speed. For example, Please turn down the radio; it's too loud , or They turned down the lights and began to dance . [Second half of 1800s]

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

turn down

“You are not going to look at bonds and say, ‘I can earn 5% over here — let me turn down double-digit gains in stocks,’” said Samana at Wells Fargo.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 1, 2026

Less-selective colleges admit many more students to enroll a full class, because so many turn down their offers.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 30, 2026

Beccy Baird, a senior fellow at the King's Fund think tank, says that despite colourful media reporting around "anti-vaxxers", most parents who turn down vaccination are not ideologically opposed to it.

From BBC ● Aug. 3, 2026

Not one to turn down a potential sign of good luck, Neto started pulling cards.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 5, 2026

Rachel had the driver turn down this unpromising dirt road.

From "The Battle of the Labyrinth" by Rick Riordan

Related Words

• dismiss
• rebuff
• refuse
• spurn