1,400 new words in our dictionary! — Parasocial, glow-up, promposal & more
1,400 new words in our dictionary! — More

turn away

verb

Definition of turn awaynext
as in to repel
to drive back using tree branches, the campers were able to turn away the charging fox, which was apparently rabid

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of turn away Journalists for the outlets were turned away from the White House over the weekend. — Peter Charalambous, ABC News, 23 Sep. 2026 Other businesses joined the suit, saying the strong smell not only triggered allergic reactions but turned away customers. — Rina Nakano, CBS News, 22 Sep. 2026 Three weeks earlier 10 Black students, escorted by local ministers past hundreds of white protesters, were turned away by the Arkansas National Guard—at the behest of the state’s governor, Orval Faubus. — Britannica Editors, Encyclopedia Britannica, 21 Sep. 2026 Reporters for all three publications were turned away from the White House complex on Saturday morning. — Brian Stelter, CNN Money, 21 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for turn away
Recent Examples of Synonyms for turn away
  1. repel
  2. turn back
  3. resist
  4. repulse
  5. beat off
  6. stave off
Verb
  • In April 2025, North Korea and Russia confirmed that their soldiers fought together to repel a Ukraine incursion into Russia’s Kursk border region.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 23 Sep. 2026
  • The York features espresso feet and comes upholstered in the retailer’s contract-grade Performance Everyday Velvet, which promises to repel liquids and resist abrasions of daily life.
    — Maria Conti, Better Homes & Gardens, 19 Sep. 2026
Definition of repel
Verb
  • Phetchaburi Road, one of the capital’s busiest, was unusually quiet as vehicles were turned back by high water.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 26 Sep. 2026
  • There’s political polarization and marginalization and the sort of people who want to turn back the clock and have that line of thinking that Ted Kaczynski had.
    — Rachel Corbett, Vulture, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of turn back
Verb
  • Zambia objected to provisions covering the use of health data and also resisted Washington’s effort to link the health agreement to cooperation on critical minerals.
    — Yinka Adegoke, semafor.com, 25 Sep. 2026
  • Ayer came on board the film after reading Cameron Alexander’s script, which provoked such a strong emotional response that the director couldn’t resist taking the material on.
    — Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of resist
Verb
  • Young people just aren’t interested, partly because they’re repulsed by bodily fluids.
    — Marta Balaga, Variety, 16 Sep. 2026
  • His recent comments didn’t favor the Browns fanbase, and many Cleveland fans seem viscerally repulsed by him.
    — Andy Behrens, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of repulse
Verb
  • Spurs beat off competition from Manchester United and Paris Saint-Germain to sign Fernandes, while Manchester City were interested in Tonali.
    — Jay Harris, New York Times, 19 Aug. 2026
  • Happiness beat off competition from second place The Flaws, an absurdist comedy for ZDF that won the official competition at the same fest.
    — Max Goldbart, Deadline, 12 June 2026
Definition of beat off
Verb
  • The Chicago Teachers Union pushed to be part of the program anyway, arguing every dollar would help stave off potential layoffs or program cuts.
    — A.D. Quig, Chicago Tribune, 20 Sep. 2026
  • They are banged up, which makes clinching the division and staving off the Atlanta Braves for a first-round bye paramount over the season’s final 12 games.
    — Fabian Ardaya, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2026
Definition of stave off

Browse Nearby Words

turnarounds
turn away
turn back
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Turn away.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/turn%20away. Accessed 28 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of fungible

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
image of the words cracker fly and sale arranged in a triangle with the word fire in the middle
Triple Play Quiz Find the word that pairs with each of the three g...
See All