turndown

[ turn-doun ]
See synonyms for turndown on Thesaurus.com
adjective
  1. that is or may be turned down; folded or doubled down: a turndown collar.

noun
  1. an act or instance of being refused or rejected: He got turndowns from all the better colleges.

Origin of turndown

1
First recorded in 1830–40; from verb phrase turn down

Words Nearby turndown

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use turndown in a sentence

  • His turndown collar was disputing territory with his tie and his waistcoat.

  • She had a perfect view of his thick red neck in its turndown collar, crossed by a black bow over a shiny white shirt.

    Beyond | John Galsworthy
  • He's got an angels-ever-bright-and-fair expression, smiles to turn milk, dog's eyes, and a turndown collar.

    A Man in the Open | Roger Pocock
  • And countless others turndown better jobs because they know, if they take the better job, they'll lose their health insurance.

  • He was dressed in a loose suit of light-colored clothes, wore a negligee shirt, with a soft turndown collar, and had no vest.

    Frank Merriwell's Son | Burt L. Standish

British Dictionary definitions for turn down

turn down

verb(tr, adverb)
  1. to reduce (the volume or brightness) of (something): turn the radio down

  2. to reject or refuse

  1. to fold down (a collar, sheets on a bed, etc)

adjectiveturndown
  1. (prenominal) capable of being or designed to be folded or doubled down

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with turndown

turndown

Fold or double down, as in They always turn down your bed here, or Turn down your collar. [c. 1600]

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.