turn against
phrasal verb
turned against; turning against; turns against
1
: to stop supporting or being friendly to (someone or something)
The senator eventually turned against the war.
She turned against her best friend.
2
: to cause (someone) to stop being friendly toward (someone)
He tried to turn our friends against us.
3
: to use (something) in a way that harms or discredits (someone)
Her political opponent tried to turn her many years of experience in Washington against her.
Examples of turn against in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
More perilously, French public opinion is turning against the war.
—
Ania Nussbaum, Fortune Europe, 16 Apr. 2024
In Ukraine, Putin feels totally free to up the scale of his war crimes against civilians, as the GOP turns against Kyiv while the world and the White House focus on Gaza.
—Trudy Rubin, Twin Cities, 12 Apr. 2024
So, drivers currently don't make left turns against oncoming traffic.
—Tom Daykin, Journal Sentinel, 11 Apr. 2024
Eventually, the horrible New Yorkers whom Allen celebrated turned against him.
—Armond White, National Review, 5 Apr. 2024
The seeming miracle of her shortly thereafter becoming pregnant — a 21st-century answer to the Virgin Mary — quickly turns sinister, as Cecilia’s body and her faith both rapidly turn against her.
—Daniel D'addario, Variety, 18 Mar. 2024
If the signal comes from inside the cell — if the reason for death is damage to the genome, for instance — then the process starts with the mitochondria turning against their host cell.
—Quanta Magazine, 6 Mar. 2024
To make this simple proposition work, those who lose must have more to gain by waiting to contest another election than by turning against the system.
—Elizabeth N. Saunders, Foreign Affairs, 20 Feb. 2024
Netanyahu is also in a diplomatic war with Joe Biden, and European leaders who expressed great sympathy after October 7 are now turning against what Israel’s been doing in Gaza.
—Dan Raviv and Yossi Melman, TIME, 9 Apr. 2024
Ania Nussbaum, Fortune Europe, 16 Apr. 2024
In Ukraine, Putin feels totally free to up the scale of his war crimes against civilians, as the GOP turns against Kyiv while the world and the White House focus on Gaza.
—Trudy Rubin, Twin Cities, 12 Apr. 2024
So, drivers currently don't make left turns against oncoming traffic.
—Tom Daykin, Journal Sentinel, 11 Apr. 2024
Eventually, the horrible New Yorkers whom Allen celebrated turned against him.
—Armond White, National Review, 5 Apr. 2024
The seeming miracle of her shortly thereafter becoming pregnant — a 21st-century answer to the Virgin Mary — quickly turns sinister, as Cecilia’s body and her faith both rapidly turn against her.
—Daniel D'addario, Variety, 18 Mar. 2024
If the signal comes from inside the cell — if the reason for death is damage to the genome, for instance — then the process starts with the mitochondria turning against their host cell.
—Quanta Magazine, 6 Mar. 2024
To make this simple proposition work, those who lose must have more to gain by waiting to contest another election than by turning against the system.
—Elizabeth N. Saunders, Foreign Affairs, 20 Feb. 2024
Netanyahu is also in a diplomatic war with Joe Biden, and European leaders who expressed great sympathy after October 7 are now turning against what Israel’s been doing in Gaza.
—Dan Raviv and Yossi Melman, TIME, 9 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'turn against.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near turn against
Cite this Entry
“Turn against.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/turn%20against. Accessed 27 Apr. 2024.
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