turn (turns plural & 3rd person present) (turning present participle) (turned past tense & past participle )
Turn is used in a large number of other expressions which are explained under other words in the dictionary. For example, the expression `turn over a new leaf' is explained at leaf.
1 verb When you turn or when you turn part of your body, you move your body or part of your body so that it is facing in a different or opposite direction.
He turned abruptly and walked away... V
He sighed, turning away and surveying the sea... V prep/adv
He turned his head left and right... V n adv/prep
Turn around or turn round means the same as turn., phrasal verb
I felt a tapping on my shoulder and I turned around... V P
Turn your upper body round so that your shoulders are facing to the side. V n P
2 verb When you turn something, you move it so that it is facing in a different or opposite direction, or is in a very different position.
They turned their telescopes towards other nearby galaxies... V n prep/adv
She had turned the bedside chair to face the door... V n to-inf
The lid, turned upside down, served as a coffee table. V-ed
3 verb When something such as a wheel turns, or when you turn it, it continually moves around in a particular direction.
As the wheel turned, the potter shaped the clay... V
The engine turned a propeller. V n
4 verb When you turn something such as a key, knob, or switch, or when it turns, you hold it and twist your hand, in order to open something or make it start working.
Turn a special key, press the brake pedal, and your car's brakes lock... V n
Turn the heat to very low and cook for 20 minutes... V n prep/adv
I tried the doorknob and it turned. V
5 verb When you turn in a particular direction or turn a corner, you change the direction in which you are moving or travelling.
Now turn right to follow West Ferry Road... V prep/adv
The man with the umbrella turned the corner again. V n
Turn is also a noun., n-count
You can't do a right-hand turn here.
6 verb The point where a road, path, or river turns, is the point where it has a bend or curve in it.
...the corner where Tenterfield Road turned into the main road. V prep/adv, Also V
Turn is also a noun., n-count
...a sharp turn in the road.
7 verb When the tide turns, it starts coming in or going out.
There was not much time before the tide turned. V
8 verb When you turn a page of a book or magazine, you move it so that is flat against the previous page, and you can read the next page.
He turned the pages of a file in front of him. V n
9 verb If you turn a weapon or an aggressive feeling on someone, you point it at them or direct it at them.
He tried to turn the gun on me... V n on n
The crowd than turned their anger on Prime Minister James Mitchell. V n on n
10 verb If you turn to a particular page in a book or magazine, you open it at that page.
To order, turn to page 236. V to n
11 verb If you turn your attention or thoughts to a particular subject or if you turn to it, you start thinking about it or discussing it.
We turned our attention to the practical matters relating to forming a company... V n to n
We turn now to the British news. V to n
12 verb If you turn to someone, you ask for their help or advice.
For assistance, they turned to one of the city's most innovative museums... V to n
13 verb If you turnto a particular activity, job, or way of doing something, you start doing or using it.
These communities are now turning to recycling in large numbers... V to/from n/-ing
14 verb To turn or be turnedinto something means to become that thing.
A prince turns into a frog in this cartoon fairytale... V into/to n
The hated dictator had turned his country into one of the poorest police states in Europe... V n into/to n
15 v-link You can use turn before an adjective to indicate that something or someone changes by acquiring the quality described by the adjective.
(=become)
If the bailiff thinks that things could turn nasty he will enlist the help of the police... V adj
16 v-link If something turns a particular colour or if something turns it a particular colour, it becomes that colour.
The sea would turn pale pink and the sky blood red... V colour
Her contact lenses turned her eyes green. V n colour
17 v-link You can use turn to indicate that there is a change to a particular kind of weather. For example, if it turns cold, the weather starts being cold.
If it turns cold, cover plants... V adj
18 n-count If a situation or trend takes a particular kind of turn, it changes so that it starts developing in a different or opposite way.
with supp, oft N in n
The scandal took a new turn over the weekend.
19 verb If a business turns a profit, it earns more money than it spends.
(AM, BUSINESS) no passive
The firm will be able to service debt and still turn a modest profit... V n
in BRIT, use make, return
20 verb When someone turns a particular age, they pass that age. When it turns a particular time, it passes that time.
It was his ambition to accumulate a million dollars before he turned thirty... V n
21 n-sing Turn is used in expressions such as the turn of the century and the turn of the year to refer to a period of time when one century or year is ending and the next one is beginning.
the N of n
They fled to South America around the turn of the century.
22 verb When someone turns a wooden or metal object that they are making, they shape it using a special tool.
...the joys of making a living from turning wood. V n
23 n-count If it is your turnto do something, you now have the duty, chance, or right to do it, when other people have done it before you or will do it after you.
usu with poss, oft N to-inf, N at -ing, N -ing
Tonight it's my turn to cook..., Let each child have a turn at fishing...
24 n-count If you say that someone is having a turn, you mean they feel suddenly very unwell for a short period of time.
(BRIT)
INFORMAL
26 You can use by turns to indicate that someone has two particular emotions or qualities, one after the other.
by turns phrase PHR with group, PHR with v
His tone was by turns angry and aggrieved.
27 If there is a particular turn of events, a particular series of things happen.
turn of events phrase
They were horrified at this unexpected turn of events.
28 If you say that something happens at every turn, you are emphasizing that it happens frequently or all the time, usually so that it prevents you from achieving what you want.
at every turn phrase PHR after v, PHR with cl (emphasis)
Its operations were hampered at every turn by inadequate numbers of trained staff...
29 If you do someone a good turn, you do something that helps or benefits them.
a good turn phrase usu PHR after v
He did you a good turn by resigning...
30 If someone turns a place inside out or upside down, they search it very thoroughly and usually make it very untidy.
turn sth inside out/turn sth upside down phrase V inflects
They hadn't found a scrap of evidence though they had turned his flat inside out.
31 If something such as a system or way of life is turned inside out or upside down, it is changed completely, making people confused or upset.
turn sth inside out/turn sth upside down phrase V inflects
He felt too shocked to move. His world had been turned upside down.
32 You use in turn to refer to actions or events that are in a sequence one after the other, for example because one causes the other.
in turn phrase PHR with cl/group
One of the members of the surgical team leaked the story to a fellow physician who, in turn, confided in a reporter.
33 If each person in a group does something in turn, they do it one after the other in a fixed or agreed order.
in turn phrase PHR after v
There were cheers for each of the women as they spoke in turn.
34 If you speak out of turn or talk out of turn, you say something that you do not have the right or authority to say.
speak out of turn/talk out of turn phrase V inflects
I hope I haven't spoken out of turn.
35 If two or more people take turnsto do something, or in British English take it in turnsto do something, they do it one after the other several times, rather than doing it together.
take turns/take it in turns phrase V inflects, oft PHR to-inf
We took turns to drive the car...
36 If a situation takes a turn for the worse, it suddenly becomes worse. If a situation takes a turn for the better, it suddenly becomes better.
take a turn for the worse/take a turn for the better phrase V inflects
Her condition took a sharp turn for the worse. turn against phrasal verb If you turn against someone or something, or if you are turned against them, you stop supporting them, trusting them, or liking them.
A kid I used to be friends with turned against me after being told that I'd been insulting him... V P n
Working with the police has turned me against the use of violent scenes as entertainment. V n P n turn around , turn round
2 phrasal verb If you turn something around, or if it turns around, it is moved so that it faces the opposite direction.
Bud turned the truck around, and started back for Dalton Pond... V n P
He had reached over to turn round a bottle of champagne so that the label didn't show... V P n (not pron)
There was enough room for a wheelchair to get in but not to turn round. V P
3 phrasal verb If something such as a business or economy turns around, or if someone turns it around, it becomes successful, after being unsuccessful for a period of time. (BUSINESS)
Turning the company around won't be easy... V n P
In his long career at BP, Horton turned around two entire divisions... V P n (not pron)
If the economy turned round the Prime Minister's authority would quickly increase. V P
4 phrasal verb If you say that someone turns around and says something, you are indicating that they say it unexpectedly or angrily, especially in order to criticize another person or to defend themselves.
INFORMAL I feel that if I say how tired I get, David will turn around and say, `I told you so'. V P and v
5 phrasal verb If you turn around a question, sentence, or idea, you change the way in which it is expressed, in order to consider it differently.
Now turn the question around and start looking not for what you did wrong in the past, but for what you can do to make things better in the future... V n P
It's an example of how you can turn around the sentence and create a whole new meaning. V P n (not pron)
1 phrasal verb If you turn someone away, you do not allow them to enter your country, home, or other place.
Turning refugees away would be an inhumane action... V n P
Hard times are forcing community colleges to turn away students. V P n (not pron)
2 phrasal verb To turn awayfrom something such as a method or an idea means to stop using it or to become different from it.
Japanese corporations have been turning away from production and have diverted into finance and real estate... V P from n turn back
1 phrasal verb If you turn back or if someone turns you back when you are going somewhere, you change direction and go towards where you started from.
She turned back towards the crossroads... V P prep/adv
They were very nearly forced to turn back... V P
Police attempted to turn back protesters marching towards the offices of President Ershad. V P n (not pron), Also V n P
2 phrasal verb If you cannotturn back, you cannot change your plans and decide not to do something, because the action you have already taken makes it impossible.
with brd-neg
The administration has now endorsed the bill and can't turn back. V P turn down
1 phrasal verb If you turn down a person or their request or offer, you refuse their request or offer.
(=reject)
Before this I'd have smiled and turned her down... V n P
Would you turn down $7,000,000 to appear nude in a magazine? V P n (not pron)
2 phrasal verb When you turn down a radio, heater, or other piece of equipment, you reduce the amount of sound or heat being produced, by adjusting the controls., (Antonym: turn up)
He kept turning the central heating down... V n P
She could not bear the relentless music and turned down the volume. V P n (not pron) turn in
1 phrasal verb When you turn in, you go to bed.
INFORMAL Would you like some tea before you turn in? V P
2 phrasal verb If you turn someone in, you take them to the police or tell the police where they are because they are suspected of committing a crime. If you turn yourself in, you go to the police because you have been involved in a crime.
He has been given until noon today to turn himself in to authorities... V n P to n
There would be strong incentives to turn someone in... V n P
I might today hesitate to turn in a burglar. V P n (not pron), Also V P n (not pron) to n
3 phrasal verb When you turn in a completed piece of work, especially written work, you give it to the person who asked you to do it.
(=hand in)
Now we wait for them to turn in their essays... V P n (not pron)
I want everybody to turn a report in. V n P
4 phrasal verb If you turn something in, you return it to the place or person you borrowed it from.
(mainly AM)
(=return)
I went back to the station-house to turn in my badge and gun... V P n (not pron) turn off
1 phrasal verb If you turn off the road or path you are going along, you start going along a different road or path which leads away from it.
The truck turned off the main road along the gravelly track which led to the farm... V P n (not pron)
He turned off only to find he was trapped in a town square with no easy exit. V P
2 phrasal verb When you turn off a piece of equipment or a supply of something, you stop heat, sound, or water being produced by adjusting the controls.
(=switch off) (Antonym: turn on)
The light's a bit too harsh. You can turn it off... V n P
I have to get up and turn off the radio... V P n (not pron)
3 phrasal verb If something turns you off a particular subject or activity, it makes you have no interest in it.
What turns teenagers off science and technology?... V n P n
Teaching off a blackboard is boring, and undoubtedly turns people off. V n P, Also V P n (not pron)
→
turn-off
4 phrasal verb If something or someone turns you off, you do not find them sexually attractive or they stop you feeling sexually excited.
INFORMAL, Antonym: turn on Aggressive men turn me off completely. V n P, Also V P n (not pron)
→
turn-off turn on
1 phrasal verb When you turn on a piece of equipment or a supply of something, you cause heat, sound, or water to be produced by adjusting the controls.
(=switch on) (Antonym: turn off)
I want to turn on the television... V P n (not pron)
She asked them why they hadn't turned the lights on. V n P
2 phrasal verb If someone or something turns you on, they attract you and make you feel sexually excited.
INFORMAL, Antonym: turn off The body that turns men on doesn't have to be perfect. V n P
→
turn-on
3 phrasal verb If you say that someone turns on a particular way of behaving, you mean that they suddenly start behaving in that way, and you are often also suggesting that this is insincere.
INFORMAL He could also turn on the style when the occasion demanded. V P n (not pron), Also V n P
4 phrasal verb If someone turns on you, they attack you or speak angrily to you.
Demonstrators turned on police, overturning vehicles and setting fire to them... V P n
5 phrasal verb If something turns on a particular thing, its success or truth depends on that thing.
(=hinge on)
The plot turns on whether Ilsa will choose her lover or her husband. V P n turn out
1 phrasal verb If something turns out a particular way, it happens in that way or has the result or degree of success indicated.
(=work out)
If I had known my life was going to turn out like this, I would have let them kill me... V P prep
Sometimes things don't turn out the way we think they're going to... V P n
I was positive things were going to turn out fine. V P adj
2 phrasal verb When you are commenting on pleasant weather, you can say that is has turned out nice or fine, especially if this is unexpected.
(BRIT)
SPOKEN It's turned out nice again. it V P adj
3 phrasal verb If something turns outto be a particular thing, it is discovered to be that thing.
Cosgrave's forecast turned out to be quite wrong... V P to-inf
It turned out that I knew the person who got shot. it V-ed P that
4 phrasal verb When you turn out something such as a light or gas, you move the switch or knob that controls it so that it stops giving out light or heat.
(=turn off)
I'll just play until the janitor comes round to turn the lights out. V n P, Also V P n (not pron)
5 phrasal verb If a business or other organization turns out something, it produces it.
They have been turning out great blades for 400 years. V P n (not pron), Also V n P
6 phrasal verb If you turn someone outof a place, especially the place where they have been living, you force them to leave that place.
(=throw out)
Surely nobody would suggest turning him out of the house... V n P of/from n
It was previously a small monastery but the authorities turned all the monks out. V n P, Also V P n (not pron)
7 phrasal verb If you turn out the contents of a container, you empty it by removing them or letting them fall out.
Turn out the dough on to a floured surface... V P n (not pron)
Turn the plants out of their pots. V n P of/from n, Also V n P
8 phrasal verb If people turn outfor a particular event or activity, they go and take part in it or watch it.
Thousands of people turned out for the funeral... V P for n
It was no wonder the fans turned out. The matches yielded 259 goals. V P
9
→
turnout
→
turned out turn over
1 phrasal verb If you turn something over, or if it turns over, it is moved so that the top part is now facing downwards.
Liz picked up the blue envelope and turned it over curiously... V n P
I don't suppose you thought to turn over the tape, did you?... V P n (not pron)
The buggy turned over and Nancy was thrown out. V P
2 phrasal verb If you turn over, for example when you are lying in bed, you move your body so that you are lying in a different position.
Ann turned over in her bed once more. V P
3 phrasal verb If you turn something overin your mind, you think carefully about it.
Even when she didn't say anything you could see her turning things over in her mind. V n P in n
4 phrasal verb If you turn something overto someone, you give it to them when they ask for it, because they have a right to it.
(=hand over)
I would, indeed, turn the evidence over to the police... V n P (not pron) to n
The lawyer turned over the release papers. V P n (not pron)
5 phrasal verb If you turn over a job or responsibility that you have, you give it to someone else, so that you no longer have it.
The King may turn over some of his official posts to his son... V P n (not pron) to n
6 phrasal verb If you turn over when you are watching television, you change to another channel.
Whenever he's on TV, I turn over. V P
7
→
turnover turn over to phrasal verb If you turn something over to a different function or use, you change its function or use.
When he first leased the land in the late 1970s, he planned to turn it over to cereal production. V n P P n, Also V P n (not pron) P n turn round
→
turn around turn up
1 phrasal verb If you say that someone or something turns up, you mean that they arrive, often unexpectedly or after you have been waiting a long time.
(=show up)
Richard had turned up on Christmas Eve with Tony... V P
2 phrasal verb If you turn something up or if it turns up, you find, discover, or notice it.
Investigations have never turned up any evidence. V P n (not pron)
...a very rare 15th-Century spoon, which turned up in an old house in Devon. V P
3 phrasal verb When you turn up a radio, heater, or other piece of equipment, you increase the amount of sound, heat, or power being produced, by adjusting the controls.,
(Antonym: turn down)
Bill would turn up the TV in the other room... V P n (not pron) I turned the volume up... V n P Turn the heat up high. V n P adj
about-turn (about-turns plural )An about-turn is the same as an about-face.
(BRIT) n-count
in AM, use about-face
star turn (star turns plural )Thestar turn of a performance or show is the main item, or the one that is considered to be the most interesting or exciting.
(mainly BRIT) n-count usu the N in sing
three-point turn (three-point turns plural )When the driver of a vehicle does a three-point turn, he or she turns the vehicle by driving forwards in a curve, then backwards in a curve, and then forwards in a curve. n-count
turn-off (turn-offs plural )
1 n-count A turn-off is a road leading away from a major road or a motorway.
2 n-count Something that is a turn-off causes you to lose interest or sexual excitement.
INFORMAL usu sing
turn-on (turn-ons plural )Something or someone that is a turn-on is sexually exciting.
INFORMAL n-count usu sing
turn signal (turn signals plural )A car's turn signals are the flashing lights that tell you it is going to turn left or right.
(AM) n-count
in BRIT, use indicators
turn-up (turn-ups plural )The turn-ups on a pair of trousers are the parts which are folded over at the ends of the legs.
(BRIT) n-count usu pl
in AM, use cuffs
U-turn (U-turns plural )
1 n-count If you make a U-turn when you are driving or cycling, you turn in a half circle in one movement, so that you are then going in the opposite direction.
2 n-count If you describe a change in a politician's policy, plans, or actions as a U-turn, you mean that it is a complete change and that they made the change because they were weak or were wrong., (disapproval)
...a humiliating U-turn by the Prime Minister.
