spurn
verb (used with object)
to reject with disdain; scorn.
had spurned
-
past perfectof spurn.past perfect
Used to express a completed action that took place before another specific past action occurred.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Before leaving Mississippi, Kiffin had spurned fan bases on both coasts, across college football and the NFL.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 5, 2026
As president, Buhari made a virtue of his "incorruptibility", declaring his relatively modest wealth and saying he had "spurned several past opportunities" to enrich himself.
From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2025
Part of the reason surely was that Democratic nominee Kamala Harris had spurned his overtures.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 1, 2024
Nadav Shtrauchler, a political analyst who was once Mr. Netanyahu’s media strategist, said that even though the prime minister had spurned the offer, he left an opening.
From New York Times ● Feb. 8, 2024
Yet I had spurned him, and I wondered whether my desertion might have hastened his death.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
