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

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

One doesn’t easily turn down a plea by the president of the United States.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 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

So I just try to turn down my worry and just be so grateful in the moment, which is not always easy for me because I can live with a lot of anxiety.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 9, 2026

The Darcys drive away and turn down Bushwick Avenue.

From "Pride" by Ibi Zoboi

Related Words

• dismiss
• rebuff
• refuse
• spurn