to turn down
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
To reject; a candidate at an examination, election, etc., who does not meet with success is said to be turned down.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “to turn down” mean?
To reject; a candidate at an examination, election, etc., who does not meet with success is said to be turned down.
Is “to turn down” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.