as in to attack
to take sudden, violent action against
it is dangerous to keep tigers as house pets, as they often turn on their masters without warning
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in lure
something that persuades one to perform an action for pleasure or gain
knew the offer of free pizza would be a major turn-on to the pair of teenagers she had just asked to help her move
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in to thrill
to cause a pleasurable stimulation of the feelings
unsurprisingly, the fanboys were turned on by the movie's amazing special effects and slam-bang plot
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to trigger
to cause to function
would you turn on the TV?
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for turn (on)
Noun
-
For now, the lure of the frozen frontier continues to draw visitors.—
Sam McNeil,
Los Angeles Times,
7 May 2026 -
For now, the lure of the frozen frontier continues to draw visitors.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
5 May 2026
Noun
-
In this one, the book advance probably immunizes Vance from charges and temptations of Washington’s ubiquitous graft.—
Ben Smith,
semafor.com,
28 Apr. 2026
-
This is my insurance policy to resist temptation a la Starbucks.—
Bon Appétit,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
27 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The main musical attractions were the B-52s, Devo, Danny Elfman and Puddles Pity Party, taking turns fronting a 10-piece big band led by Mark Mothersbaugh — and with Fred Armisen on drums — that nimbly navigated between exotica and some fairly fierce garage-rock.—
Chris Willman,
Variety,
7 May 2026
-
The Komodo dragon, among the world’s most iconic animals and now a major ecotourist attraction for Indonesia, clings to a precarious existence in its island realm.—
Craig Stanford,
Big Think,
7 May 2026
Noun
-
The 12-team College Football Playoff has already created incentives for easier schedules.—
Ian Miller OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
10 May 2026
-
Most companies haven’t yet adjusted its employee metrics and incentives to fit with how AI is changing work, Microsoft said in its report, which surveyed 20,000 workers using AI across 10 countries.—
Lisa Eadicicco,
CNN Money,
10 May 2026
Noun
-
The commercials, featuring the company’s young CEO, Margo Case (Kathryn Newton), fuse Big Pharma come-on with a vague feminist spiel, and Carol rolls her eyes at all the feel-good whatever.—
Sheri Linden,
HollywoodReporter,
16 Mar. 2026
-
But this time, his begging sounds like more than an empty come-on.—
Melissa Ruggieri,
USA Today,
27 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
But much of the talk centered on health and motivation.—
Troy Renck,
Denver Post,
8 May 2026
-
Others contain hidden structures of motivation.—
Joshua Rothman,
New Yorker,
8 May 2026
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Cite this Entry
“Turn (on).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/turn%20%28on%29. Accessed 11 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
