take turns

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

The Parton Family Singers took turns on the stages, near a re-creation of her childhood shack. — Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 26 Aug. 2026

Pacome and his friends will take turns being the public-facing rat at the zoo, swapping out roles as behind-the-scenes or front-of-house animals weekly. — Camila Pedrosa, Sacbee.com, 20 Aug. 2026

According to the panelists, which included Wain, Banks, Joe Lo Truglio (who plays Neil in the film), and Marguerite Moreau (who plays Katie), everyone on the set was taking turns getting their picture taken with Skylab. — Chelsea Gohd, Space.com, 20 Aug. 2026

In Toyota’s Prius or a traditional hybrid, a petrol engine and an electric motor take turns turning the axles. — New Atlas, 13 Aug. 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