Word
turn
US/ˈtɝn/
UK/tˈɜːn/
Definitions
01to change direction
v. to move your body or a vehicle in a new direction.
v. to cause to move or to move oneself so as to face or travel in a different direction.
“Turn left at the next traffic light to find the supermarket.”
“The driver had to turn sharply to avoid the debris that had fallen from the truck ahead of him.”
Antonyms
02to rotate
v. to move in a circle around a central point.
v. to rotate or cause to rotate around an axis or centre.
“You have to turn the key clockwise to unlock the front door.”
“The turbine began to turn rapidly as the water pressure increased, generating enough electricity for the entire village.”
03to become
v. to change into something else or reach a certain age.
v. to undergo a transformation in state, nature, or appearance; also used to indicate reaching a specific age.
“The leaves turn brown in the autumn before they fall off the trees.”
“He will turn fifty next month, a milestone that has prompted him to reconsider his career path entirely.”
04sequential opportunity
n. the time when you are allowed or expected to do something after someone else.
n. an opportunity or obligation to do something in a specified order among a group.
“It is your turn to wash the dishes after dinner tonight.”
“Each player must wait for their turn before moving their piece across the board according to the dice roll.”
Synonyms
05a change in direction
n. a movement or a place where you change direction.
n. an act of changing course or the place where a road or path deviates.
“The car took the turn too fast and nearly hit the fence.”
“The mountain road was full of sharp turns that made several passengers feel quite motion-sick during the ascent.”
06a helpful or harmful act
n. an action that helps or hurts someone else.
n. a service or deed performed for another, often appearing in the phrase 'do someone a good turn'.
“He did me a good turn by lending me his car when mine broke down.”
“The local business owner did the community a good turn by sponsoring the youth football team's new uniforms.”
07a short performance
n. a short act or performance in a show.
n. a short theatrical or musical performance, typically as part of a variety show.
“The comedian's turn was the highlight of the evening's entertainment.”
“The veteran singer performed a brief turn at the charity gala, reminding the audience of her enduring vocal talent.”
British English
08to shape on a machine
v. to shape a piece of wood or metal using a special machine called a lathe.
v. to shape an object by rotating it against a cutting tool on a lathe.
“The carpenter turned the legs of the table to give them a rounded shape.”
“The artisan spent hours turning the mahogany block into a perfectly symmetrical bowl with intricate decorative grooves.”
Technical
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *terh₁-der. Ancient Greek τόρνος (tórnos)bor. Latin tornus Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂ Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂yéti Proto-Italic *-āō Latin -ō Latin tornōbor. Proto-West Germanic *turnēn Old English turnian ▲ Latin tornō Old French tornerbor. Middle English turnen English turn From Middle English turnen, from Old English turnian, tyrnan (“to turn, rotate, revolve”), from Proto-West Germanic turnēn (“to turn, lathe”) (also the source of German turnen and its derivatives) and Old French torner (“to turn”), both from Latin tornāre (“to round off, turn in a lathe”), from tornus (“lathe”), from Ancient Greek τόρνος (tórnos, “turning-lathe: a tool used for making circles”), from Proto-Indo-European terh₁- (“to rub, rub by turning, turn, twist, bore”). Cognate with Old English þrāwan (“to turn, twist, wind”), whence English throw. Displaced native Middle English wenden from Old English wendan (see wend), and Middle English trenden from Old English trendan (see trend), among several other terms.
Partly from Anglo-Norman *torn, from Latin tornus, from Ancient Greek τόρνος (tórnos), and partly an action noun from the verb turn.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Collocations
Word family
Related words
Idioms
Buggins's turn — A humorous, disparaging term for the appointment of a person by rotation or promotion, on the basis of length of service (it being that person's "turn") rather than merit or level of qualification.
everything one touches turns to gold — Everything someone uses or does succeeds or becomes better.
everything one touches turns to shit — Everything someone uses or does fails or becomes worse.
good turn — A good deed; a thoughtful or selfless act.
left turn — An unexpected change from the way things seemed to be going.
poacher turned gamekeeper — A person now charged with protecting what they formerly preyed upon.
serve the turn — To suffice for one's immediate purpose or need.
star turn — An acting performance which causes the performer to become renowned.
take a turn — Change in direction, tone, or tendency.
take a turn for the better — To start to become better; to improve.
Show all 62
take a turn for the worse — To start to become worse; to worsen.
take a wrong turn at Albuquerque — To take a wrong turn or miss a turn in a journey, so reaching a place distant from the original goal.
talk out of turn — To make a remark or provide information when it is inappropriate or indiscreet to do so, or when one does not have permission or the authority to do so.
turn a blind eye — To deliberately or knowingly ignore, overlook, or refuse to acknowledge something, especially when improper or unpleasant; to look the other way.
turn a corner — Alternative form of turn the corner.
turn a hair — To show fear, alarm or distress; to be affected (by an experience or situation).
turn a number of shades of red — To blush, especially out of embarrassment or shame.
turn a phrase — To create a particular linguistic expression which is strikingly clear, appropriate, and memorable.
turn a profit — To obtain profit from an investment.
turn a setback into a comeback — To use a difficult situation as an opportunity to learn and come back stronger than before.
turn a trick — To perform a sexual service for a customer.
turn against — To rebel or oppose to something formerly supported.
turn around — To suddenly change or reverse one's opinion, point of view, stated position, behaviour, etc.
turn back the clock — To return to a previous state.
turn down — To refuse, decline, or deny.
turn heads — To garner a considerable amount of attention.
turn in — To submit something; to give.
turn in one's grave — To be appalled, offended or disgusted by something, despite being deceased.
turn into a pumpkin — To go to bed; to go to sleep (especially at, or around midnight).
turn loose — To release or let go; to permit (someone or something) to roam freely or to act freely.
turn of events — A deviation from the expected course of events.
turn of the screw — One step in a gradual imposition of restrictions.
turn on its head — To turn upside-down; to invert.
turn on one's heel — To suddenly turn away from someone or something in order to depart rapidly, especially as expressive of haughtiness, disapproval, or evasiveness.
turn one's coat — To turn against a previous affiliation or allegiance.
turn one's color — To change color, especially to become pale or red in the face.
turn one's nose up — Followed by at: alternative form of turn up one's nose.
turn out — To end up; to result.
turn over — To relinquish; give back.
turn over a new leaf — To engage in self-improvement; to begin a good habit or shed a bad habit.
turn someone's head — To influence someone in a manner that significantly changes his or her behavior.
turn tail — To turn away from someone or something, in preparation for running away; to reverse direction; to leave or flee.
turn the air blue — To speak a stream of bad language; to curse and swear.
turn the boat — To make a major change in behavior, strategy, topic under discussion, etc.
turn the corner — To pass the most critical point of some process; to pass out of danger.
turn the other cheek — To accept punishment or injury without retaliating.
turn the page — To move on to new involvements or activities; to make a fresh start.
turn the scale — To decide or determine a balanced situation.
turn the screw — To increase the pressure of a situation.
turn the tables — To reverse a situation, so that the advantage has shifted to the party which was previously disadvantaged.
turn the tide — To undergo a change or reversal of a general trend.
turn to dust — To die or disappear.
turn to good account — To use well; to take advantage of.
turn turtle — To become upset.
turn two — To reach the age of two years.
turn up for the book — A very unexpected, usually pleasant, surprise.
turn up one's nose — Followed by at.
turn up the heat — To increase the intensity of activity or discomfort.
turn up the volume on — To increase the intensity of; to focus on; to highlight or emphasize.
turn up trumps — To end up being successful when doing so was uncertain or unlikely.
turn upside down — To thoroughly examine.
worm turns — Circumstances change so that a previously disadvantaged party gains the advantage, or vice-versa.
Domains
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