turn against

phrasal verb

turned against; turning against; turns against

1

: to stop supporting or being friendly to (someone or something)

The senator eventually turned against the war.

She turned against her best friend.

2

: to cause (someone) to stop being friendly toward (someone)

He tried to turn our friends against us.

3

: to use (something) in a way that harms or discredits (someone)

Her political opponent tried to turn her many years of experience in Washington against her.

Examples of turn against in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Threat From the Inside In the West Bank, a new generation of ultranationalists has taken an even more radical turn against the very notion of a democratic Israeli state. —Mark Mazzetti, New York Times, 16 May 2024

Sanada stars as Lord Yoshii Toranaga, a member of the ruling Council of Regents who must fight for his survival when the political tides turn against him. —Joe Otterson, Variety, 16 May 2024

Lee was heading north on Culver approaching Trabuco at about 4:30 p.m. and appeared to swerve and lose control of the car when the driver of a Honda Civic made a right turn against a red from Trabuco to north Culver, according to police. —City News Service, Orange County Register, 14 May 2024

The public hasn’t known them long enough to turn against them. —Danny Emerman, The Mercury News, 5 May 2024

Even with his acquittal, public sentiment had turned against Blackburn. —TIME, 4 May 2024

The testimony marked a stunning spectacle: a former president’s confidante turned against him. —Jonathan Swan, New York Times, 3 May 2024

More perilously, French public opinion is turning against the war. —Ania Nussbaum, Fortune Europe, 16 Apr. 2024

In Ukraine, Putin feels totally free to up the scale of his war crimes against civilians, as the GOP turns against Kyiv while the world and the White House focus on Gaza. —Trudy Rubin, Twin Cities, 12 Apr. 2024