spurn

1 of 2

verb

ˈspərn 

spurned; spurning; spurns

transitive verb

1

: to reject with disdain or contempt : scorn

2

: to tread sharply or heavily upon : trample

intransitive verb

1

archaic : to reject something disdainfully

2

obsolete

a

: stumble

b

: kick sense 1a

spurner noun

spurn

2 of 2

noun

1

a

: disdainful rejection

b

: contemptuous treatment

2

a

: kick sense 1a

b

obsolete : stumble

Synonyms

Verb

• refuse
• reject
• decline

Choose the Right Synonym for spurn

decline, refuse, reject, repudiate, spurn mean to turn away by not accepting, receiving, or considering.

decline often implies courteous refusal especially of offers or invitations.

declined his party's nomination

refuse suggests more positiveness or ungraciousness and often implies the denial of something asked for.

refused to lend them the money

reject implies a peremptory refusal by sending away or discarding.

rejected the manuscript as unpublishable

repudiate implies a casting off or disowning as untrue, unauthorized, or unworthy of acceptance.

teenagers who repudiate the values of their parents

spurn stresses contempt or disdain in rejection or repudiation.

spurned his overtures of friendship

Examples of spurn in a Sentence

Verb

fiercely independent, the elderly couple spurned all offers of financial help

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Hardcore, like many self-consciously underground communities, spurned broader society by forming its own smaller one, which turned out to entail a fair amount of conformity, after all—those Boston hardcore kids on the State House steps were dressed pretty much the same, in jeans and dark jackets. —Kelefa Sanneh, New Yorker, 11 June 2025

Amid an obsession with low-fat diets in the 1980s, avocados were spurned by many — even though their fats are mostly unsaturated. —Daniel Miller, Los Angeles Times, 30 May 2025

Archbishop Bean bravely uplifted people with HIV-AIDS at a time when many with the illness were feared and spurned. —Matthew Carey, Deadline, 27 May 2025

Raiola is a former five-star signee who spurned Ohio State and Georgia to play for his father’s alma mater. —Mitch Sherman, New York Times, 20 June 2025

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English, from Old English spurnan; akin to Old High German spurnan to kick, Latin spernere to spurn, Greek spairein to quiver

First Known Use

Verb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 2a

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2a

Rhymes for spurn

• berne
• burn
• churn
• dern
• earn
• erne
• fern
• hern
• hirn
• learn
• morne
• quern

Kids Definition

spurn

verb

ˈspərn

: to reject or thrust aside with scorn

spurner noun