turn down

phraseB12 meaningsNot compared — the two pools are counted one word at a time, so a phrase has no score

To turn down is to refuse an offer — or to lower the volume. The same words for a rejection and a dial.

The refusing sense covers jobs, invitations and applications, so being turned down is a plain way of describing a rejection. The lowering sense covers sound, heat and light, and turn it down is what every parent has shouted up the stairs. It splits round an object in both. There is a third use in hotels, since turning down a bed means folding the covers back for the night.

Definitions of turn down

1phraseturn downTo refuse an offer or request.B1
“He may well turn down the job.”
2phrasereduceTo reduce the volume or heat of something.A2
“Could you turn down the radio a little?”

Also accepted in games: reject

Practised in Phrasal Verbs, A Man Called Ove

First appears in chapter 4 of A Man Called Ove.

Practise this word

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