turn back

verb

turned back; turning back; turns back

Definition of turn back

intransitive verb

1a : to go in the reverse direction

b : to stop going forward

2 : to refer to an earlier time or place

transitive verb

1 : to drive back or away

2 : to stop the advance of

3 : to fold back

4 : give back, return

turn back the clock

: to revert to or remind of a condition existing in the past

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Examples of turn back in a Sentence

a cavalry charge that was turned back by withering fire

Recent Examples on the Web

Fares would surge, and drivers would turn back on their apps in order to get higher fares. — Sara Ashley O'brien, CNN, "On-demand workers are protesting -- using the apps they work for," 14 June 2019 Jonquel Jones had 17 points and 13 rebounds, Alyssa Thomas also had a double-double and the Connecticut Sun turned back the Dream 65-59 on Sunday afternoon in Atlanta. — Staff And Wire Reports, courant.com, "Jones leads balanced Sun to third straight win," 10 June 2019 June refuses, turning back towards Gilead, determined to break the system from the inside and save her older daughter, Hannah (Jordana Blake), in the process. — Nicole Pomarico, refinery29.com, "What Is June's Daughter Being Trained For On The Handmaid's Tale?," 8 June 2019 LetsRun’s recap the action in Rome, from Norman’s upset of Lyles to the way Genzebe Dibaba turned back Laura Muir. — oregonlive.com, "Ducks reach for trophy as men’s action concludes today at the NCAA Championships: Oregon track & field rundown," 7 June 2019 And, as the need for new housing strains prosperous regions across the country, Parolek’s effort to broaden the mix — or turn back the clock — is picking up steam. — John King, SFChronicle.com, "Avoiding extremes, Berkeley architect extols “missing middle” housing," 6 June 2019 The trick will be to see whether these insights can be turned back against the invaders. — Quanta Magazine, "The Body’s Clock Offers a Rhythmic Target to Viruses," 30 May 2019 Tens of thousands of Croatians, mostly pro-fascist soldiers and their families, fled to the region in May 1945 amid a Yugoslav army offensive, only to be turned back from Austria by the British military and into the hands of anti-fascists. — Dusan Stojanovic, The Seattle Times, "Croats gather in Austria for controversial commemoration," 18 May 2019 The ship was drifting for some time, and at around 0500 UTC Jan 3 turned back. — Kyle Mizokami, Popular Mechanics, "Bad Weather Ruined a Shipment of Russia’s Best Missiles Bound for China," 19 Feb. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'turn back.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Dictionary Entries near turn back

turn around and (do something)

Statistics for turn back

Last Updated

20 Jun 2019

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Time Traveler for turn back

The first known use of turn back was in the 15th century

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