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

• balk (at)
• decline
• deselect
• disapprove
• negative
• nix
• pass
• pass up
• refuse
• reject
• reprobate
• repudiate
• throw out
• throw over
• turn down

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

But the Blades spurned several chances to put the game beyond Sunderland’s reach and the Black Cats equalized in the 76th minute as Eliezer Mayenda rifled the ball into the net. —Issy Ronald, CNN Money, 24 May 2025

Six days after Soto spurned the Yankees to sign a $765 million contract with the Mets, the Yankees pivoted to acquire Bellinger from the Chicago Cubs and plug a hole in the outfield. —Andy McCullough, New York Times, 17 May 2025

Putin spurned an offer this week by Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy to meet face-to-face for peace talks in Istanbul. —Bradford Betz, FOXNews.com, 16 May 2025

The latest push to end the fighting got off to a rocky start on Thursday, when Russian President Vladimir Putin spurned an offer by Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy to meet face-to-face. —Hanna Arhirova, Chicago Tribune, 16 May 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