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
Ann BradleySeveral youths were around the phone, taking it in turns to gossip and joke with the operator.—Christopher Isherwood
Christopher IsherwoodExamples of take turns in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
This has involved frequently changing our operating hours, generating content after hours and taking turns between my husband and me to oversee the store.
—Jasmine Browley, Essence, 12 Apr. 2024
At a school board meeting two weeks later, a half-dozen mothers, wearing red to support Mr. Sanchez, held up signs and took turns reading aloud from the report of the second outside investigation, to rounds of applause from other supporters.
—John Leland John Leland, New York Times, 11 Apr. 2024
The two women strummed their guitars and took turns singing the song’s lyrics before joining together in harmony for the chorus.
—Tomás Mier, Rolling Stone, 10 Apr. 2024
Because the tunnels are so small, the women take turns working inside them.
—Astrid Suárez, The Christian Science Monitor, 14 Mar. 2024
Since becoming a dad to twins in 2020, he’s joined the 5 a.m. club and takes turns doing kids’ drop-off with his wife—who also works at Farmer J in marketing.
—Orianna Rosa Royle, Fortune Europe, 6 Apr. 2024
The third lawsuit alleged Combs and singer-songwriter Aaron Hall took turns raping a plaintiff and her friend following an Uptown Records event in 1990.
—Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 5 Apr. 2024
Members were encouraged to start families and took turns watching over each other’s kids.
—Olivia B. Waxman, TIME, 1 Apr. 2024
In documents obtained by PEOPLE, another Jane Doe, who has since revealed herself as Liza Gardner, alleged that Combs and singer-songwriter Aaron Hall took turns raping her and a friend in New York City more than 30 years ago.
—Jack Irvin, Peoplemag, 28 Mar. 2024
Jasmine Browley, Essence, 12 Apr. 2024
At a school board meeting two weeks later, a half-dozen mothers, wearing red to support Mr. Sanchez, held up signs and took turns reading aloud from the report of the second outside investigation, to rounds of applause from other supporters.
—John Leland John Leland, New York Times, 11 Apr. 2024
The two women strummed their guitars and took turns singing the song’s lyrics before joining together in harmony for the chorus.
—Tomás Mier, Rolling Stone, 10 Apr. 2024
Because the tunnels are so small, the women take turns working inside them.
—Astrid Suárez, The Christian Science Monitor, 14 Mar. 2024
Since becoming a dad to twins in 2020, he’s joined the 5 a.m. club and takes turns doing kids’ drop-off with his wife—who also works at Farmer J in marketing.
—Orianna Rosa Royle, Fortune Europe, 6 Apr. 2024
The third lawsuit alleged Combs and singer-songwriter Aaron Hall took turns raping a plaintiff and her friend following an Uptown Records event in 1990.
—Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 5 Apr. 2024
Members were encouraged to start families and took turns watching over each other’s kids.
—Olivia B. Waxman, TIME, 1 Apr. 2024
In documents obtained by PEOPLE, another Jane Doe, who has since revealed herself as Liza Gardner, alleged that Combs and singer-songwriter Aaron Hall took turns raping her and a friend in New York City more than 30 years ago.
—Jack Irvin, Peoplemag, 28 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'take turns.' 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 take turns
Cite this Entry
“Take turns.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/take%20turns. Accessed 25 Apr. 2024.
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