26984 words

turns

48 definitions • 109 examples
1
to (cause to) move in a circle around a fixed point or line:

Examples:

turn on The earth turns on its axis once every 24 hours.
She turned on her toes, holding out her skirt.
turn (around) The wheels started to turn (around).
Turn the steering wheel as quickly as you can.
She turned the doorknob and quietly opened the door.
Slowly, I turned the door handle.
2
to perform a movement in which your body moves around in a circle:

Examples:

turn a somersault She turned a full somersault in the air.
turn cartwheels They turned cartwheels down the catwalk.
3
to (cause to) change the direction in which you are facing or moving:

Examples:

Turn right at the traffic lights.
twist and turn The path twists and turns for the next half mile.
We have to turn down/into/up the next road on the right.
Plants tend to turn towards the source of light.
She turned to face him.
turn on your heel He turned on his heel (= turned quickly to face the opposite direction) and left the room.
turn to The person on my left turned to me and whispered "Not another speech!"
turn your back (on) His wife tried to speak to him, but he turned his back (on her)/ (= moved so that his back, not his face, was towards her to show his anger).
turn away (from) She turned away (from him) to hide her tears.
the tide turns At about three o'clock, the tide started to turn (= the sea started to come closer to or move away from the beach).
He turned his head to me to listen.
turn something round I'll just turn the car round and go back the way we came.
We watched until the car had turned (= gone around) the corner.
turn something on someone The army turned their guns on (= pointed them at and started to shoot at) the protesters.
4
In cricket, if a ball turns, it changes direction suddenly when it hits the ground:

Examples:

On this pitch, the ball turns and our batsmen have had to learn a new technique
The totals became lower as the day wore on, and the ball turned more.
5
to move, or to move an object or page, so that a different side or surface is on the top:

Examples:

Now turn the page, please, and start work on Exercise 2.
turn something over She turned the vase over to look for the price.
He turned over two or three pages.
turn over She put out the light, turned over (= rolled in order to face in another direction) and went to sleep.
turn to Now turn to (= open the book at) page 23 and look at the first paragraph.
6
to (cause to) become, change into, or come to be something:

Examples:

When I refused to pay, he turned nasty.
She turned pale and started to shiver.
The mood of the meeting turned solemn when the extent of the problem became known.
The companies worked well together for a while, but eventually the relationship turned sour (= became bad).
turn something into/to something The dry weather turned the soil into/to concrete.
By the end of September, the leaves have started to turn (= become brown).
turn from something to something Her attitude turned from politely interested to enthusiastic during the course of our conversation.
7

Examples:

She turned 18 last year.
8
to become a particular time:

Examples:

It's just turned ten o'clock.
9
to use a control to switch a piece of equipment or a power or water supply on or off, or to increase or reduce what it is producing:

Examples:

turn something off/out I got into bed, turned off/out the light, and fell asleep.
turn something on Who turned the TV on?
turn something down I asked him to turn down the heating.
turn something up Turn the sound up - I can't hear what they're saying.
turn off The heater turns off (= can be switched off) using this switch.
10
to damage the muscles in the foot by suddenly twisting it too strongly:

Examples:

She turned her ankle on the rocks and had to hobble back to camp.
11
to shape a piece of wood while it is attached to a machine that spins it:

Examples:

12
an opportunity or a duty to do something at a particular time or in a particular order, before or after other people:

Examples:

Is it my turn yet?
[ + to infinitive ] I waited so long for my turn to see the careers adviser that I missed my bus.
turn to It's your turn to do the dishes!
miss a turn In this game if you give the wrong answer you have to miss a turn.
13
When a number of people take turns, they do the same thing one after the other:

Examples:

We take turns answering the phone.
14
one after the other in an agreed order:

Examples:

Each of us takes a break in turn.
15

Examples:

You are not allowed to play a card out of turn.
16
an action that causes something to move in a circle round a fixed point:

Examples:

Give the screw a couple of turns to make sure it's tight.
17
a change in the direction in which you are moving or facing:

Examples:

make a turn When you see the school on the left, make a right turn.
twists and turns The path was full of twists and turns.
18
starting to change direction:

Examples:

The tide is on the turn.
19
starting to become better or worse:

Examples:

There are fears that the housing market is on the turn.
The world economy would appear to be on the turn.
Some say the club's fortunes might be on the turn.
I had a feeling my luck was on the turn.
20
(of food or drink) starting to decay:

Examples:

This milk smells funny – I think it's on the turn.
Often the fruit is so ripe that it is on the turn.
21
the point at which something changes or moves in a different direction:

Examples:

the turn of the tide
22
the middle point in a round of golf, usually after the ninth hole:

Examples:

at the turn He was six under at the turn.
reach the turn She reached the turn in 39.
23
to develop in a particular way:

Examples:

The battle for control of the company took an interesting turn today.
24
to suddenly become better or worse:

Examples:

Their relationship took a turn for the worse when he lost his job.
25

Examples:

The first couple of turns were children singing and dancing.
26

Examples:

After the accident I started having funny turns.
give someone a turn It gave me quite a turn to see him after all these years.
27
a sign above a note in a piece of written music that means four notes, including the note written and notes above and below this note, should be played:

Examples:

Ornamental turns are a common feature of baroque music.
28
to move or cause something to move in a circle around a central point or line:

Examples:

[ I ] The earth turns on its axis once every 24 hours.
[ T ] She turned the doorknob and opened the door.
29
to change the direction in which you are facing or moving, or to cause someone or something to face or move in a different direction:

Examples:

[ I ] They told us to turn right at the first traffic light.
[ T ] Turn your head this way so that you’re looking right at the camera.
[ I ] I turned to the person next to me and asked her what time it was.
[ T ] The car turned (= went around) the corner.
[ I ] fig. He felt desperate and didn’t know where to turn for help.
[ I ] I turned over (= changed how I was lying) and tried to sleep, but quickly gave up.
30
If you turn something or turn something over, you place the surface that was on top on the bottom:

Examples:

[ T ] He turned the pages of a magazine.
[ M ] She turned the baby over onto his stomach.
31
to become or cause to become, change, or come to be:

Examples:

[ L ] The weather suddenly turned colder, and it started to rain.
[ I ] By mid-September, the leaves are starting to turn (= change color).
32
You say that someone turns a particular color when strong emotion or illness causes that person’s face to appear red, gray, yellow, etc:

Examples:

[ L ] He turned red with embarrassment.
33
Turn is used with times and ages to show that a particular point has been reached or passed:

Examples:

[ L ] My little girl just turned six in February.
34
to use a control to switch a piece of equipment on or off, or to adjust it to change the amount of what it is producing:

Examples:

[ M ] Please turn off/out the lights when you leave.
[ M ] Who turned my computer on/off?
[ M ] Turn the TV down (= make the sound quieter) – it’s too loud.
[ M ] Turn up the volume – I can’t hear what they’re saying.
35
to damage the muscles in the foot by suddenly bending it too strongly:

Examples:

to turn your ankle
36
to feel that you are going to vomit, or to cause your stomach to feel this way:

Examples:

[ I/T ] The stench made my stomach turn.
37
an opportunity or a duty to do something at a particular time or in a particular order, before or after other people:

Examples:

[ + to infinitive ] It’s your turn to do the grocery shopping.
38
a change in the direction in which you are moving or facing:

Examples:

Make a left turn at the next traffic light.
39
the act of causing something to move in a circle around a fixed point:

Examples:

This little wheel will shut off the water if you give it several turns.
40
to change into something or make something change into something:

Examples:

turn sth into sth These machines can turn a computer design into a 3-D prototype in minutes.
With some wise internet trading, he managed to turn $68,000 into $100,000 in three years.
41
to change direction, or to make something change direction:

Examples:

The first quarter could see a further decline in retail customers, though executives said they were confident the trend will turn.
turn negative/positive Sales are expected to turn positive in the first quarter of next year.
turn higher/lower
42
to make something the opposite of what it was previously:

Examples:

The internet turned the world of flight booking on its head.
43
to make a profit:

Examples:

The business was set up five years ago but is still struggling to turn a profit.
44
to find a way of getting something positive out of a bad situation:

Examples:

Experienced long-term investors can turn an economic downturn to their advantage.
45
to refuse to be involved in something that you were previously involved in:

Examples:

He said the country could not turn its back on globalization.
46
a change in the way something such as prices, rates, or the economy is behaving:

Examples:

It is too early to know whether the economy has reached a turn in the cycle.
take a turn for the better/worse Media stocks took a turn for the better.
bad/downward/upward turn The figures have taken a downward turn.
47
the profit from an investment:

Examples:

The shares were picked up by investors looking to make a quick turn on their money.
48
the difference between a trader’s buying price and selling price for particular shares, currencies, etc.

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