What does "spurn" mean?
An act of spurning; a scornful rejection.
Spurn
/spɝn/ noun, verb
noun, verb ·Moderate ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: An act of spurning; a scornful rejection.
- Grammar: spurn is listed as noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: reject, abjure, abstain, ban.
- Useful contrasts: unsupervised sample, consomme, court.
- Usage evidence: to spurn at your most royal image
How to use "spurn"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "spurn" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "spurn" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "spurn" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "spurn" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "spurn" is acting as noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "reject" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
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Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "spurn", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 An act of spurning; a scornful rejection.
- 2 A kick; a blow with the foot. archaic
"What defence can properly be used in such a despicable encounter as this but either the slap or the spurn?"
- 3 Disdainful rejection; contemptuous treatment. obsolete
"The insolence of office and the spurns That patient merit of the unworthy takes."
- 4 A body of coal left to sustain an overhanging mass.
Verb
- 1 To reject disdainfully; contemn; scorn. ambitransitive
"to spurn at your most royal image"
- 2 reject with contempt wordnet
- 3 To reject something by pushing it away with the foot. transitive
"Me thinks I ſee kings kneeling at his feet, And he with frowning browes and fiery lookes, Spurning their crownes from off their captiue heads."
- 4 To waste; fail to make the most of (an opportunity) transitive
"Marouane Chamakh then spurned a great chance to kill the game off when he ran onto Andrey Arshavin's lofted through ball but shanked his shot horribly across the face of goal."
- 5 To kick or toss up the heels. intransitive, obsolete
"oft' the ſudden Gale Ruffles the Tide, and ſhifts the dang'rous Sail, […] The drunken Chairman in the Kennel ſpurns, The Glaſſes ſhatters, and his Charge o'erturns."
Example
"to spurn at your most royal image"
Common questions
What is a synonym for "spurn"?
Common synonyms include: reject, abjure, abstain, ban, banish, beat back.
How do you use "spurn" in a sentence?
to spurn at your most royal image
How do you pronounce "spurn"?
Pronounced /spɝn/.
Etymology
From Middle English spurnen, spornen, from Old English spurnan (“to strike against, kick, spurn, reject; stumble”), from Proto-Germanic *spurnaną (“to tread, kick, knock out”), from Proto-Indo-European *sperH-. Cognate with Scots spurn (“to strike, push, kick”), German spornen (“to spur on”), Icelandic sporna, spyrna (“to kick”), Latin spernō (“despise, distain, scorn”). Related to spur and spread.