phrasal verb🧩 phrasal verb

turn down

to reject an offer

What it means

To refuse or reject an offer, invitation, or request, usually politely. It can also mean to lower the volume or temperature of something.

Examples

  • She turned down the job because the salary was too low.
  • I can't believe he turned down a free trip to Japan.
  • They turned my application down without even an interview.
  • He turned down the heat once the sauce started bubbling.

Where it comes from

Separable. 'Turn down' for refusal is informal but extremely common in everyday and business English; it suggests a definite 'no' rather than a maybe.

Related phrasal verbs

#turn up#turn on#turn off#put off

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