turn
turn
(tûrn) verb
turned,
turning, turns
verb
, transitive
1.
To cause to move around an axis or a center; cause to rotate or revolve.
2.
To cause to move around in order to achieve a result, such as opening, closing, tightening, or loosening: turn the key; turn a screw.
3.
To alter or control the functioning of (a mechanical device, for example) by the use of a rotating or similar movement: Please turn the iron to a hotter setting.
4.
To perform or accomplish by rotating or revolving: turn a somersault.
5.
a. To change the position of so that the underside becomes the upper side: turn the steak; turn a page. b. To spade or plow (soil) to bring the undersoil to the surface. c. To reverse and resew the material of (a collar, for example).
6. To revolve in the mind; meditate on; ponder.
7. a. To give a rounded form to (wood, for example) by rotating against a cutting tool. b. To give a rounded shape to (clay, for example) by rotating and shaping with the hands or tools. c. To give a rounded form to: turn a heel in knitting a sock. d. To give distinctive, artistic, or graceful form to: "They know precisely how to turn a dramatic line or phrase that is guaranteed to make the evening news" (William Safire).
8. a. To change the position of by traversing an arc of a circle; pivot: turned his chair toward the speaker. b. To cause (a scale) to move up or down so as to register weight: Even a feather will turn a delicate scale.
9. a. To fold, bend, or twist (something). b. To change the position or disposition of by folding, bending, or twisting: Turn the design right side up on all your jacket buttons. Turn the hat inside out. c. To make a bend or curve in: He could turn a bar of steel. d. To blunt or dull (the edge of a cutting instrument). e. To injure by twisting: turn an ankle. f. To upset or make nauseated: That story turns my stomach.
10. To change the direction or course of: turn the car to the left.
11. a. To divert or deflect: turn a stampede. b. To reverse the course of; cause to retreat: "Then turn your forces from this paltry siege/And stir them up against a mightier task" (Shakespeare).
12. To make a course around or about: turn a corner.
13. To change the purpose, intention, or content of by persuasion or influence: His speech turned my thinking.
14. To change the order or disposition of; unsettle: "Sudden prosperity had turned [his] head" (Macaulay).
15. a. To set in a specified way or direction by or as if by rotating or pivoting; point: turn the antenna east. b. To present in a specified direction by or as if by rotating or pivoting: turn one's face to the wall.
16. a. To aim or focus; train: turn one's gaze to the sky. b. To devote or apply (oneself, for example) to something: She turned herself to music.
17. To cause to act or go against; make antagonistic: News of the scandal turned public opinion against the candidate.
18. To cause to go in a specific direction; direct: They turned their way back.
19. To send, drive, or let go: turn the bully out of the bar; turned the dog loose.
20. To pour, let fall, or otherwise release (contents) from or into a receptacle: Turn the dough onto a floured board.
21. To cause to take on a specified character, nature, identity, or appearance; change or transform. Used with to or into: water that had been turned to ice; turn a rundown house into a show place.
22. To make sour; ferment: Lack of refrigeration turned the milk.
23. To affect or change the color of: Autumn turns the green leaves golden.
24. To exchange; convert. Used with to or into: turns her singing talent into extra money.
25. To keep in circulation; sell and restock: We turned a great deal of merchandise during the holidays.
26. To get by buying and selling: turn a fair profit.
27. Slang. To perform (an act of prostitution): turning tricks.
verb
, intransitive
1.
To move around an axis or a center; rotate or revolve.
2.
To have a sensation of revolving or whirling, especially as a result of dizziness or giddiness.
3.
To change position from side to side or back and forth: I tossed and turned all night.
4.
To progress through pages so as to arrive at a given place: Please turn to page 361.
5.
a. To operate a lathe. b. To be formed on a lathe: a softwood that turns easily.
6. To direct one's way or course: The truck turned into the service station. We turned off the highway at the first exit.
7. To change or reverse one's way, course, or direction: Too tired to go farther, we turned toward home.
8. To have a specific reaction or effect, especially when adverse.
9. To change one's actions or attitudes adversely; become hostile or antagonistic: The once servile peasants turned against the cruel king.
10. To attack suddenly and violently with no apparent motive: The tiger turned on the animal trainer.
11. To channel one's attention, interest, or thought toward or away from something: "In the spring a young man's fancy lightly turns to thoughts of love" (Tennyson).
12. To devote or apply oneself to something, as to a field of study: Unsuccessful in mathematics, the student turned to biology.
13. To convert to a religion.
14. To switch one's loyalty from one side or party to another.
15. To have recourse to a person or thing for help, support, or information.
16. To depend on something for success or failure; hinge: "The election would turn not on ideology but on competence" (George F. Will).
17. a. To change so as to be; become: His hair turned gray. I am a lawyer turned novelist. b. To change; become transformed. Used with to or into: The sky turned to pink at dawn. The night turned into day. c. To reach and pass (a certain age, for example): My niece has turned three.
18. To become sour: The milk turned because we did not refrigerate it.
19. To change color: The leaves have turned.
20. To be stocked and sold: This merchandise will turn easily.
21. To become dull or blunt by bending back. Used of the edge of a cutting instrument.
noun
1.
The act of turning or the condition of being turned; rotation or revolution.
2.
A change of direction, motion, or position: Make a left turn at the corner.
3.
A place, as in a road or path, where a change in direction occurs; a curve: a sharp turn in the road.
4.
A departure or deviation, as in a trend: a strange turn of events.
5.
A point marking the end of one period of time and the beginning of the next: the turn of the century.
6.
a. A chance or an opportunity. b. One of a series of such opportunities accorded people in succession or in scheduled order: waiting for her next turn at bat.
7. A period of participation: a turn at wrestling.
8. a. An attack of illness or severe nervousness. b. Informal. A momentary shock or scare: I had quite a turn when I first heard the crash.
9. A characteristic mood, style, or habit; a natural inclination: a curious and speculative turn of mind.
10. A propensity or an adeptness: a turn for carpentry.
11. A distinctive, graceful, or artistic expression or arrangement of words: the poetic turn of a phrase.
12. a. A movement or development in a particular direction: a turn for the worse. b. A variation of a given kind or type: "His muse occasionally takes a humorous and satirical turn" (Albert C. Baugh).
13. A deed or an action having a good or bad effect on another: "He thought some friend had done him an ill turn" (Stephen Crane).
14. Advantage or purpose: It served his turn.
15. A short walk or excursion out and back: took a turn in the park.
16. A distortion in shape.
17. The condition of being twisted or wound.
18. a. A winding of one thing about another. b. A single wind or convolution, as of wire on a spool.
19. Something that winds or turns around a center axis.
20. Music. A figure or an ornament consisting of four or more notes in rapid succession and including in addition to the principal note the one that is a degree above and the one that is a degree below it.
21. A brief theatrical act or stage appearance.
22. A transaction on the stock market involving both a sale and a purchase.
23. South Atlantic U.S.. The amount that can be carried in the arms in one load: a turn of firewood.
phrasal verb.
turn away
1.
To send away; dismiss: turned away the salesperson.
2.
To repel: The poor location of the condominium turned away many prospective buyers.
3.
To avert; deflect: turned away all criticism.
turn back
1.
To reverse one's direction of motion: stopped on the road and had to turn back.
2.
To drive back and away: turned back the uninvited comers.
3.
To halt the advance of: managed to turn back the advancing army.
4.
To fold down: Turn back the corner of the page to save your place in the book.
turn down
1.
To diminish the speed, volume, intensity, or flow of: Turn down the radio, please.
2.
To reject or refuse, as a person, advice, or a suggestion: We politely turned down the invitation.
3.
To fold or be capable of folding down: turn a collar down; a collar that turns down.
turn in
1.
To hand in; give over: turned in the final exam.
2.
To inform on or deliver: The criminal turned herself in.
3.
To produce: turns in a consistent performance every day.
4.
Informal. To go to bed: I turned in early last night.
turn off
1.
To stop the operation, activity, or flow of; shut off: turned off the television.
2.
Slang. a. To affect with dislike, displeasure, or revulsion: That song really turns me off. b. To affect with boredom: The play turned the audience off. c. To lose or cause to lose interest; withdraw: turning off to materialism. d. To cease paying attention to: Unable to leave my seat, I turned off the boring speaker and thought about vacation.
3. To divert; deflect.
4. Chiefly British. To dismiss (an employee).
5. Slang. a. To affect with dislike, displeasure, or revulsion: That song really turns me off. b. To affect with boredom: The play turned the audience off. c. To lose or cause to lose interest; withdraw: turning off to materialism. d. To cease paying attention to: Unable to leave my seat, I turned off the boring speaker and thought about vacation.
turn on
1.
To cause to begin the operation, activity, or flow of: Turn on the light bulb.
2.
To begin to display, employ, or exude: turn on the charm.
3.
Slang. a. To take or cause to take a mind-altering drug, especially for the first time. b. To be or cause to become interested, pleasurably excited, or stimulated. Often used with to: My uncle turned me on to jazz. She turned on to surfing this summer. c. To excite or become excited sexually.
4. Slang. a. To take or cause to take a mind-altering drug, especially for the first time. b. To be or cause to become interested, pleasurably excited, or stimulated. Often used with to: My uncle turned me on to jazz. She turned on to surfing this summer. c. To excite or become excited sexually.
turn out
1.
To shut off: turned out the lights.
2.
To arrive or assemble, as for a public event or entertainment: A large group of protesters have turned out.
3.
To produce, as by a manufacturing process; make: an assembly line turning out cars.
4.
To be found to be, as after experience or trial: The rookie turned out to be the best hitter on the team.
5.
To end up; result: The cake turned out beautifully.
6.
To equip; outfit: troops that were turned out beautifully.
7.
Informal. To get out of bed.
8. To evict; expel: The tenants were turned out.
turn over
1.
To bring the bottom to the top or vice versa; invert.
2.
a. To shift the position of, as by rolling from one side to the other. b. To shift one's position by rolling from one side to the other.
3. To rotate; cycle: The engine turned over but wouldn't start.
4. To think about; consider: She turned over the problem in her mind.
5. To transfer to another; surrender: turned over the illegal funds.
6. To do business to the extent or amount of: turn over a million dollars a year.
7. To seem to lurch or heave convulsively: My stomach turned over.
8. a. To shift the position of, as by rolling from one side to the other. b. To shift one's position by rolling from one side to the other.
turn to
To begin work: If you quit dawdling and just turn to, the cleaning will be done in a day. turn up
1.
To increase the speed, volume, intensity, or flow of: turn up the public-address system.
2.
a. To find: She turned up the missing papers under her blotter. b. To be found: The papers will turn up sooner or later.
3. To make an appearance; arrive: Several old friends turned up at the reunion.
4. To fold or be capable of folding up: turning up his cuffs; cuffs that will turn up.
5. To happen unexpectedly: Something turned up and I was unable to go.
6. To be evident: Her name constantly turns up in art circles.
7. a. To find: She turned up the missing papers under her blotter. b. To be found: The papers will turn up sooner or later.
idiom.
at every turn
In every place; at every moment.
by turns
One after another; alternately: "From the . . . testimony emerges a man by turns devious and honest, vulgar and gallant, scatterbrained and shrewd" (Life).
in turn
In the proper order or sequence.
out of turn
1.
Not in the proper order or sequence.
2.
At an inappropriate time or in an inappropriate manner: I may be speaking out of turn, but you might like to know that your attire does not conform to the dress code here.
to a turn
To a precise degree; perfectly: The roast was done to a turn.
turn a blind eye
To refuse to see or recognize something: turned a blind eye to government corruption.
turn a deaf ear
To refuse to listen to or hear something: turned a deaf ear to the protests.
turn a hair
To become afraid or upset: didn't turn a hair during the bank robbery.
turn (one's) back on
1.
To deny; reject.
2.
To abandon; forsake.
turn (one's) hand
To apply oneself, as to a task: turned her hand to writing the dissertation; was lazy and wouldn't turn his hand.
turn (one's) head
1.
To cause to become infatuated.
2.
To cause to become egotistical and conceited: Success has turned his head.
turn over a new leaf
To change, as one's attitude or conduct, for the better.
turn tail
To run away.
turn the corner or turn a corner
To reach and surpass a midpoint or milestone.
turn the other cheek
To respond to insult or injury by patiently eschewing retaliation.
turn the scales
To offset the balance of a situation.
turn the tables
To reverse a situation and gain the upper hand.
turn turtle
To capsize or turn upside-down: Our sailboat turned turtle during the squall.
turn up (one's) nose
To regard (something) with disdain or scorn: turned up her nose at the food.
[Middle English turnen, from Old English turnian, tyrnan Old French torner, both from Latin tornāre, to turn in a lathe, from tornus, lathe, from Greek tornos.]
Synonyms:
turn, rotate, revolve, gyrate, spin, whirl, circle, eddy, swirl. These verbs all mean to move or cause to move in a circle. Turn, the most general, means to move in a circular course: a planet turning on its axis; turned and stared at me. Rotate usually involves movement around an object's own axis or center: The top rotated with decreasing speed as the spring wound down. Revolve can have the same meaning as rotate, while in certain contexts it is distinguished from rotate as involving orbital movement: The earth revolves around the sun. Gyrate usually refers to revolving in or as if in a spiral course: waltzers gyrating giddily. To spin is to rotate rapidly, often within a narrow compass: "He . . . spun round, flung up his arms, and fell on his back, shot through" (John Galsworthy). Whirl applies to rapid or forceful revolution or rotation: whirling snowflakes. Circle refers to circular or approximately circular motion: sea gulls circling above the ocean. Eddy usually denotes rapid circular movement like that of a whirlpool: Storm clouds eddied overhead. Swirl, often interchangeable with eddy, sometimes connotes a graceful undulation, spiral, or whorl: The flood waters swirled wildly under the bridge. The milliner swirled tulle lavishly above the brim of the hat. See also synonyms at resort.