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:
More Americans were expected to spurn pricier steaks and burgers in favor of cheaper chicken.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 11, 2026
Heteropessimism exists alongside heterosexuality not because being straight is terrible or embarrassing or out of fashion, but because it is, first and foremost, an institution — one that in many places remains dangerous to spurn.
From Salon ● Jun. 3, 2026
During 40 years of wars in southern Sudan, Darfur and elsewhere, this mindset has meant that Sudan's leaders spurn formulas for peace offered by mediators.
From BBC ● Nov. 28, 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
“I will answer for it, that mine thinks herself full as clever, and would spurn any body’s assistance.”
From "Emma" by Jane Austen
And 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. 19, 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
It was so handsome that it spurns description.
From Music-Study in Germany from the Home Correspondence of Amy Fay by Amy Fay
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
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
The 27-year-old had a goal disallowed on Monday after Doue was offside in the build-up, and he also spurned a number of chances as Olise stole the headlines.
From BBC ● Jun. 9, 2026
Despite no organized opposition, a flurry of cities, as well as the editorial board of the Los Angeles Daily News, have loudly spurned the idea, arguing it will make the region even less affordable.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 12, 2026
Instead of using Leah’s name, the book spurned her as, “The relative … in whose house Miss Fox was then living.”
From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock
So it’s strange that Ms. Hochul is spurning data centers, which could generate thousands of jobs and more tax revenue.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 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
There was a wicked point to all the sewing and cooking that they were trying to impress upon me, the tedious lessons I had been spurning and ducking.
From "The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate" by Jacqueline Kelly
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
