Meaning & use
turndown
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Meanings
nouncountable
An act of refusing an offer, request, or invitation.
Grammar: Usually singular and often used with a possessive: his turndown of the offer.
Patterns
- someone's turndown of something
- a turndown from someone
Her turndown of the scholarship surprised everyone at school.
The company's turndown of our bid was polite but final.
He still regrets his turndown of that job in Tokyo.
nouncountable
The part of a bed sheet or blanket that is folded back at the top.
Grammar: Often used before another noun: a turndown sheet, a turndown service.
Patterns
- a turndown sheet
- a turndown service
The maid folded a neat turndown on each bed.
Hotels with a turndown service usually leave a small gift on the pillow.
The turndown was creased, so she asked for fresh bedding.
nouncountablebusinessfinance
A fall or drop in the level or amount of something.
Grammar: Often followed by in: a turndown in sales.
Patterns
- a turndown in something
- a sharp turndown
Analysts reported a slight turndown in holiday spending.
The turndown in oil prices worried local producers.
A sudden turndown in demand closed two factories.
Word forms
| plural | turndowns |
|---|
Common combinations
- a sharp turndown
- The report showed a sharp turndown in new orders.
- turn down an offer
- She decided to turn down the offer and stay in her old job.
- turndown service
- The hotel offers a turndown service with chocolates on the pillow.
- a turndown in demand
- There was a turndown in demand for winter coats.
Synonyms and how they differ
- refusal
- Refusal is the general word for saying no; turndown is more specific and slightly more formal, often used in business writing.
- decline
- Decline as a noun sounds more formal and often refers to a gradual loss or a polite refusal, while turndown usually means one clear act of saying no.
- drop
- Drop is a general word for any fall in amount; turndown is more common in business or economic writing.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: turndown or turnover? turndown or downturn?
turndown vs turnover
Turnover means the total amount of business done in a period or the rate at which staff leave; turndown means a refusal or a fall in level.
turndown vs downturn
Downturn means a period when business activity gets worse; turndown is a smaller, more general fall in an amount.
Practice
Which sentence uses turndown correctly?
Choose one answer.
Turndown as a noun can describe a hotel service that folds back the bed covers, so option A fits. Option B needs the phrasal verb turn down, not the noun turndown. Option C is illogical because a refusal is not usually accepted happily. Option D should use in, not of, with a fall in prices.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “turndown”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.