verb
spurn
SPURN/spɜːrn/
To reject someone or something with contempt.
She spurns the offered gift, pushing the box back with a sneer.
Etymology
Old English spurnan links contemptuous rejection with kicking something away. Both meanings were already present in that verb: disdain is expressed through the physical image of driving something back with the foot.
In context
what hope can I gather from your fellow creatures who owe me nothing they spurn and hate me the desert mountains and dreary Glaciers are my refuge
More examples
- He spurned her apology, calling it worthless.
- The director spurns advice from anyone she considers inexperienced.
- They spurned the offer as beneath them.
Forms
spurn · spurns · spurned · spurning