spurn
Americanverb (used with object)
-
spurns,
present (3rd person singular)
-
spurned,
past participle, past
-
spurning
present participle
verb (used without object)
-
spurns,
present (3rd person singular)
-
spurned,
past participle, past
-
spurning
present participle
noun
-
disdainful rejection.
-
contemptuous treatment.
- Synonyms:
- contumely
-
a kick.
verb
-
to reject (a person or thing) with contempt
-
archaic to kick (at)
noun
-
an instance of spurning
-
archaic a kick or thrust
Synonym Usage
See refuse 1.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
spurnsimple
-
spurnssimple
-
have spurnedperfect
-
has spurnedperfect
-
am spurningprogressive
-
are spurningprogressive
-
is spurningprogressive
-
have been spurningperfect progressive
-
has been spurningperfect progressive
Past
-
spurnedsimple
-
had spurnedperfect
-
was spurningprogressive
-
were spurningprogressive
-
had been spurningperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of spurn
First recorded in 1250–1300; (verb) Middle English spurnen, Old English spurnan; cognate with Old Saxon, Old High German spurnan, Old Norse sporna “to kick”; akin to Latin spernere “to put away”; (noun) Middle English: “a kick, contemptuous stroke,” derivative of the verb
Explanation
If you reject your mother's offer to buy you a pair of lederhosen with a snort and eye roll, you are spurning her generosity. To spurn means to reject with disdain. Originally, to spurn was to kick away. Though it's not used in that context so often anymore, being spurned still feels like a kick in the gut. You can reject someone kindly, or let them down easily, but you can't spurn someone with anything but malice.
Vocabulary lists containing spurn
Dissed List: Breakup Words for Valentine's Day
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Grade 11, List 4
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"Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death" by Patrick Henry (1775)
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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.
See Examples For:
For most of the past century, it would have been unthinkable for BYU’s coach to spurn a blueblood like Penn State, with all the in-built advantages it offered in recruiting.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 5, 2025
With surprising speed, however, this country’s leaders came to spurn McKinley’s embrace of a colonial empire with its costly, complicated occupation of overseas territories.
From Salon ● Mar. 7, 2025
Four-star Georgia linebacker Jadon Perlotte was also expected to spurn the Trojans in spite of his previous commitment to Entz and USC.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 4, 2024
Florida State: You’ll find the Seminoles closer to the top here than in other post-spring forecasts, largely because of our faith in coach Mike Norvell to turn the playoff spurn into seasonlong emotional propulsion.
From Seattle Times ● Jun. 3, 2024
The first I chose was Céline Varens—another of those steps which make a man spurn himself when he recalls them.
From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë
Newsom typically spurns laws that make changes to the state budget after those fiscal discussions conclude in the first half of the calendar year.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 1, 2026
The story of the first Carthaginian queen, Dido, was co-opted by the Roman poet Virgil, whose hero, Aeneas, spurns her.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 11, 2026
Chiedozie Ogbene spurns a great chance to give the Irish an early lead - he's fed down the left and sprints into the box before smashing into the side netting.
From BBC ● Mar. 22, 2024
In the ancient Greek tale of Narcissus, a young hunter, admired for his unmatched beauty, spurns many who love and pursue him.
From Scientific American ● Aug. 16, 2023
The Pontiff eyes the frowsy parchment with disgust, and when the old man kneels to kiss his foot, he spurns him.
From The Browning Cyclop?dia A Guide to the Study of the Works of Robert Browning by Edward Berdoe
Radwan spurned a good opportunity to score his second, kicking the ball dead when he had a whole half of the field to run into.
From BBC ● Oct. 3, 2026
But landing another face-to-face exchange will take convincing a North Korean leader who has spurned U.S. outreach in recent years.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 20, 2026
With these gains under his belt, Kim has so far spurned all of Trump’s diplomatic overtures since the president returned to the White House.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026
The announcement comes after North Korea has repeatedly spurned South Korean President Lee Jae Myung's dovish overtures, labelling Seoul its "most hostile" enemy and declaring itself an "irreversible" nuclear state.
From Barron's ● Jul. 10, 2026
They resisted the smile and spurned the offer.
From "Angela's Ashes: A Memoir" by Frank McCourt
It is probably no coincidence that the rise of the current AI excitement coincided with a more inward-looking technorati spurning major institutions—whether that be government, regulators, media or any group perceived as slowing their innovation.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 29, 2026
The Rams grew nervy, spurning chances to build their lead.
From Barron's ● Jan. 11, 2026
Younger generations are spurning the social media sites of their parents, but what’s shocking is the alternative we’ve embraced: the Find My app that shares your real-time location with as many friends as you want.
From Slate ● Dec. 14, 2025
After spurning BHP’s advances last year, Anglo American announced a proposed merger with Canada’s Teck Resources in September that would value the pro forma entity at around $60 billion using today’s share prices.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 24, 2025
Then he leapt forward, spurning the earth, and was gone like the north wind from the mountains.
From "The Two Towers" by J. R. R. Tolkien
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