What does spurn mean?
Word: Spurn
Part of Speech: Verb
Meaning: Spurn means to reject someone or something proudly or rudely, because you think they are not good enough.
Synonyms: reject, scorn, rebuff, snub
Antonyms: welcome, embrace
Word origin: Comes from Old English spurnan 'to kick away, reject'.
How do you spell spurn?
Syllables: spurn
Tricky part: The er sound is spelt ur, as in burn and turn. Spern and spirn are the usual mistakes.
Watch out for: spern, spirn, spurne
Memory tip: Think of a proud king who will turn down any gift: turn and spurn share the same ur.
Spurn in a sentence
Example 1: She spurned the offer of a lift and walked home in the rain.
Example 2: The proud artist spurned all advice about his paintings.
Example 3: Do not spurn a friend who comes to say sorry.
Fun Fact
Spurn first meant to kick something away with your foot, and it is related to spur, the pointed device a rider wears on the heel.
Practise the CREST Way
Sound Check
Which word does not rhyme with spurn?
a) learn
b) adorn
c) adjourn
d) urn
Show answer
b) adorn. Adjourn and adorn look alike, but only adjourn has the ur sound; adorn ends like horn.
Word Champ
Choose the correct word for the blank:
The cat sniffed at the cheap biscuits and turned away; it seemed to ___ anything that was not fish.
a) spawn
b) spare
c) spurn
d) sprain
Show answer
c) spurn. Spare means to let off, spawn is to lay eggs and sprain is to twist a joint.
Jumble Tumble
Choose the correct sequence of the jumbled letters to form a meaningful word:
12345 upnsr
a) 24153
b) 42135
c) 41253
d) 42153
Show answer
d) 42153. Letters 4, 2, 1, 5 and 3 give the verb for turning something down proudly.
Word Puzzle
Match the words with their opposites:
1. spurn 2. squander 3. conceal a. save b. reveal c. accept
a) 1-c, 2-b, 3-a
b) 1-c, 2-a, 3-b
c) 1-a, 2-b, 3-c
d) 1-b, 2-c, 3-a
Show answer
b) 1-c, 2-a, 3-b. You accept what you could spurn, save what you could squander and reveal what you could conceal.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. The team spurned the coach's advice. What did they probably do next?
a) wrote his tips in a notebook
b) carried on in their own way
c) did exactly what he said
d) thanked him warmly
Show answer
b) carried on in their own way
2. Which action shows someone spurning help?
a) saving a seat for a friend
b) lending a friend a pen
c) thanking a friend for help
d) turning down a friend's offer with a proud sniff
Show answer
d) turning down a friend's offer with a proud sniff
