turn down
Britishverb
-
to reduce (the volume or brightness) of (something)
turn the radio down
-
to reject or refuse
-
to fold down (a collar, sheets on a bed, etc)
adjective
-
Fold or double down, as in They always turn down your bed here , or Turn down your collar . [c. 1600]
-
Invert, as in She turned down her cards , or They turn down the glasses in the cupboard . [Mid-1700s]
-
Reject, fail to accept, as in They turned down his proposal , or Joe was turned down at four schools before he was finally accepted . [Late 1800s]
-
Diminish in volume, brightness, or speed. For example, Please turn down the radio; it's too loud , or They turned down the lights and began to dance . [Second half of 1800s]
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
So I just try to turn down my worry and just be so grateful in the moment, which is not always easy for me because I can live with a lot of anxiety.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 9, 2026
“It’s not like we can call parents for backup care. I had to turn down the job.”
From MarketWatch • May 13, 2026
Polls and other research show that the American people want the nation’s leaders to turn down the political temperature.
From Salon • May 12, 2026
It feels a little big, but they got a good deal on it and I wasn’t going to turn down a free car.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 28, 2026
Blue eyes that turn down, giving her a shy way about her.
From "The Help" by Kathryn Stockett
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
