turn back
verb
turned back; turning back; turns back
1
a
: to go in the reverse direction
b
: to stop going forward
2
: to refer to an earlier time or place
1
: to drive back or away
2
: to stop the advance of
3
: to fold back
Synonyms
Examples of turn back in a Sentence
a cavalry charge that was turned back by withering fire
Recent Examples on the Web
After landing Worthy in the second round, Carolina turns back around and grabs Rice — the son of all-time great WR Jerry Rice — in the fifth round.
—
Mike Kaye, Charlotte Observer, 24 Apr. 2024
If potatoes are cooked and then left to cool, the active starch is turned back into resistant starch, in a process known as retrogradation.
—Georgia Day, Vogue, 24 Apr. 2024
With that largely behind us, things should normalize a little bit and turn back to profit.
—Detroit Free Press, 23 Apr. 2024
Now, state legislators and some local and state agencies are turning back the dial, moving to relax the rules on high-speed vehicular pursuits largely because of concerns about crime, according to news reports and a review of testimony by Stateline.
—Tribune News Service, The Mercury News, 19 Apr. 2024
On Tuesday, federal prison officials declined to answer questions about how many inmates were transferred, or how many were turned back.
—Keri Blakinger, Los Angeles Times, 16 Apr. 2024
Hernandez was backed by stellar defense from third baseman Brady Ebel and first baseman David Rivera to turn back the Lancers, who inflicted one of the two losses on the Panthers this season.
—Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 14 Apr. 2024
The pro-Palestinian conference at which Abu Sitta was due to speak was broken up by police shortly after he was turned back at immigration.
—Loveday Morris, Washington Post, 13 Apr. 2024
Cyprus, which helped provide the sea route bringing aid to Gaza, said ships that recently arrived were turning back with more than 200 tons of undelivered aid, the Associated Press reported.
—John Bacon, USA TODAY, 2 Apr. 2024
Mike Kaye, Charlotte Observer, 24 Apr. 2024
If potatoes are cooked and then left to cool, the active starch is turned back into resistant starch, in a process known as retrogradation.
—Georgia Day, Vogue, 24 Apr. 2024
With that largely behind us, things should normalize a little bit and turn back to profit.
—Detroit Free Press, 23 Apr. 2024
Now, state legislators and some local and state agencies are turning back the dial, moving to relax the rules on high-speed vehicular pursuits largely because of concerns about crime, according to news reports and a review of testimony by Stateline.
—Tribune News Service, The Mercury News, 19 Apr. 2024
On Tuesday, federal prison officials declined to answer questions about how many inmates were transferred, or how many were turned back.
—Keri Blakinger, Los Angeles Times, 16 Apr. 2024
Hernandez was backed by stellar defense from third baseman Brady Ebel and first baseman David Rivera to turn back the Lancers, who inflicted one of the two losses on the Panthers this season.
—Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 14 Apr. 2024
The pro-Palestinian conference at which Abu Sitta was due to speak was broken up by police shortly after he was turned back at immigration.
—Loveday Morris, Washington Post, 13 Apr. 2024
Cyprus, which helped provide the sea route bringing aid to Gaza, said ships that recently arrived were turning back with more than 200 tons of undelivered aid, the Associated Press reported.
—John Bacon, USA TODAY, 2 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'turn back.' 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 turn back
Cite this Entry
“Turn back.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/turn%20back. Accessed 2 May. 2024.
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