take turns

idiomatic phrase

variants also British take it in turns

: to do something one after another in regular succession in order to share the responsibility or opportunity of doing it : alternate

We take turns washing the dishes.

Almost immediately, Rick and Diane begin videotaping their classroom lessons, letting their students take turns with the cameras.

—Ann Bradley

Several youths were around the phone, taking it in turns to gossip and joke with the operator.

—Christopher Isherwood

Examples of take turns in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Roberts opened with a speech, before players took turns talking. —Jack Vita, Los Angeles Times, 17 Feb. 2026

Sweden, Norway and France stayed together on the tracks and the range, taking turns at the front. —ABC News, 17 Feb. 2026

At the Olympic media summit in October, a collection of athletes from across the sports spectrum took turns sitting at small daises to field questions from reporters on hand. —Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 16 Feb. 2026

Advocates for Eastside Beltline light rail took turns blasting the MARTA Board of Directors at its meeting Thursday, berating the board for the transit agency’s pace of project delivery and for the decision made by a small group of officials to quietly stop work on the project last year. —Sara Gregory, AJC.com, 13 Feb. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1613, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for take turns

• holofernes
• overturns
• subalterns
• adjourns
• concerns
• discerns
• downturns
• internes
• nocturnes
• returns
• sideburns
• churns