turn away

verb

turned away; turning away; turns away

transitive verb

1

a

: to refuse admittance or acceptance to

b

: to send away : reject, dismiss

c

: repel

2

: deflect, avert

intransitive verb

: to start to go away : depart

Synonyms

• repel
• turn back
• resist
• repulse
• fend (off)
• beat off
• stave off

Examples of turn away in a Sentence

using tree branches, the campers were able to turn away the charging fox, which was apparently rabid

Recent Examples on the Web

Americans don’t have a legal right to a bank account, and lenders often turn away people or businesses to comply with a mountain of rules and regulations designed to protect the financial system. —Allison Morrow, CNN Money, 7 Aug. 2025

Or, perhaps preferably, turn away from watermarks and towards tactics that can positively prove an image’s authenticity, such as content credentials. —IEEE Spectrum, 7 Aug. 2025

But far worse was what the scandal brought out in us As the two participants frantically turned away, wisely declining to be seen or heard from again, a legion of stand-ins came out of the woodwork to take their place. —Davia Temin, Forbes.com, 6 Aug. 2025

Helping people was core to the church’s purpose, and members didn’t turn away folks in need. —Joshua Sharpe august 6, Literary Hub, 6 Aug. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 2

Rhymes for turn away

• aaa
• adonais
• alleyway
• alumnae
• anime
• anyway
• arete
• attache
• baa
• beaujolais
• bouvier
• breakaway

Kids Definition

turn away

verb

: to refuse to let in : send away

all the seats were sold and a large crowd had to be turned away