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turn

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verb American English pronunciation: turn /tɜrn/ 
Word Forms
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present tense
I/you/we/theyturn
he/she/itturns
present participleturning
past tenseturned
past participleturned
Other entries for this word
 
  1. 1
    [intransitive/transitive] to change the position of your body or head so that you are facing in a different direction

    She turned and smiled at me.

    He turned his head and looked around the room.

    turn away:

    Lopez just glared at the other man and then turned away.

    turn over:

    I put the blanket over my head, turned over, and went to sleep.

    turn around:

    The girls in front turned around and grinned.

    turn back:

    He turned back just in time to see her disappearing around the corner.

    turn someone/something away (from someone/something):

    She turned her face away, desperate to avoid his kiss.

    turn to do something:

    The whole audience turned to stare at the latecomers.

    turn to:

    Maria turned to the reporters and said: "I'm innocent."

    turn something toward something /someone:

    The rescued men turned their heads toward the ocean and thought of their lost comrades.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of turn
    1. a.
      [transitive] to change the position of something so that it is pointing in a different direction
      turn something around:

      Turn your chairs around so you're facing me.

      turn something on someone/something:

      The attacker killed three people before turning the gun on himself.

      turn something over:

      Turn the tape over and press "Play."

      Thesaurus entry for this meaning of turn
  2. 2
    [intransitive] to change the direction in which you are moving or traveling
    turn around/toward/into etc.:

    We turned into our driveway, glad to get home.

    The truck turned around and came back toward us.

    turn left/right:

    Follow this path; then turn right and walk uphill.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of turn
    1. a.
      [transitive] to make something change the direction in which it is moving
      turn something around/toward/into etc.:

      He turned the car in the direction of the city.

      They ordered the pilot to turn the plane around.

      Thesaurus entry for this meaning of turn
    2. b.
      [intransitive] if a road or river turns, it bends and goes in a different direction

      The road turns to follow the cliffs at the little village of Croton.

      Here the road turns sharply to the right.

      Thesaurus entry for this meaning of turn
    3. c.
      [intransitive] if the tide turns, it moves in the opposite direction
      Thesaurus entry for this meaning of turn
  3. 3
    [intransitive] to make a circular movement

    I heard the key turn in the lock.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of turn
    1. a.
      [transitive] to make something move in a circle

      Turning this wheel will start the machine.

      Thesaurus entry for this meaning of turn
  4. 4
    [linking verb] to change and do or become something else
    turn ugly/nasty/violent:

    The game turned ugly in the final minutes, when two players were ejected for fighting.

    turn cold/chilly:

    The weather turned quite chilly in the afternoon.

    turn professional:

    Duval turned professional in 1993.

    turn informant/killer:

    She was betrayed by a childhood friend who turned government informant.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of turn
    1. a.
      to change and become another color

      The leaves turn bright red in autumn.

      Thesaurus entry for this meaning of turn
  5. 5
    [linking verb] to become a particular age or a particular time

    He turned 40 in March.

    It's just turned midnight.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of turn

phrases

See also

This is the American English definition of turn. View British English definition of turn.

Change your default dictionary and thesaurus to British English.

View the pronunciation for turn.

 

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