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

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

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 5, 2026

When Washington wanted to build an Ebola facility for its citizens on Kenyan territory, President William Ruto said it would be "inhumane" to turn down the request.

From Barron's ● Jun. 24, 2026

“It’s not like we can call parents for backup care. I had to turn down the job.”

From MarketWatch ● May 13, 2026

Polls and other research show that the American people want the nation’s leaders to turn down the political temperature.

From Salon ● May 12, 2026

I put my hand in my jacket pocket and pretended to turn down my nonexistent iPod.

From "Burning Blue" by Paul Griffin

Related Words

• dismiss
• rebuff
• refuse
• spurn