turn back

verb

Definition of turn backnext
as in to repel
to drive back a cavalry charge that was turned back by withering fire

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of turn back Father Time remains undefeated, and carrying extra offseason weight certainly isn't going to turn back the clock. — Alejandro Avila Outkick, FOXNews.com, 5 Aug. 2026 While some visitors turn back after getting just a taste of the Highline, many set their sights on Granite Park Chalet, a historic backcountry lodge nestled nearly eight miles from the trailhead. — Taryn Shorr-McKee, Travel + Leisure, 3 Aug. 2026 Matthew Stafford dropped back, faked a handoff, turned back around and went looking for Puka Nacua again. — Nate Atkins, New York Times, 30 July 2026 The two-day event was scheduled on Saturday to include a parade, which was to begin in Mitte, in central Berlin, wind its way south into Schöneberg, then turn back northward toward Brandenburg Gate. — Kevin Shalvey, ABC News, 26 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for turn back
Recent Examples of Synonyms for turn back
  1. repel
  2. resist
  3. turn away
  4. repulse
  5. stave off
  6. beat off
Verb
  • Baking soda mixed with powdered sugar can repel ants and cockroaches.
    — Ashley Chalmers, The Spruce, 14 Aug. 2026
  • The narrator, though curious to speak herself, is finally repelled.
    — Maya Binyam, New Yorker, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of repel
Verb
  • Compounding the crisis is the fact that airlines are actively resisting standardization in a bid to outdo each other.
    — Edward Russell, CNN Money, 15 Aug. 2026
  • For instance, as a Christian, I am called to vote for doing justice, making peace, loving mercy, being humble, doing good and resisting evil and, most of all, loving my neighbor, whoever that is.
    — Chicago Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 15 Aug. 2026
Definition of resist
Verb
  • Hugo Lloris turned away one shot for LAFC (10-6-4), which had piled up 11 goals in its previous four matches.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 16 Aug. 2026
  • Your building staff has been instructed to refuse entry to City inspectors sent to investigate these complaints, as we are constantly turned away.
    — Linda Robertson, Miami Herald, 15 Aug. 2026
Definition of turn away
Verb
  • Most Americans are repulsed by the core ideas of radical leftists.
    — Steve Forbes, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2026
  • Philly may be shedding its second-fiddle status, but it remains entirely repulsed by frauds and underachievers.
    — Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 24 July 2026
Definition of repulse
Verb
  • And Cronenworth, fouling off pitches against lefty Aaron Ashby, did well to stave off a strikeout before hitting a soft bounder to first baseman Jake Bauers.
    — Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Aug. 2026
  • In Haiti, Liberia, Myanmar, Sierra Leone, Somalia, and South Sudan, regional bodies helped stave off governmental collapse.
    — Eghosa E. Osaghae, Foreign Affairs, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of stave off
Verb
  • Liverpool are keen for the 21-year-old to gain regular senior experience with Hartberg beating off competition from a number of clubs in Switzerland and France.
    — James Pearce, New York Times, 20 July 2026
  • Happiness beat off competition from second place The Flaws, an absurdist comedy for ZDF that won the official competition at the same fest.
    — Max Goldbart, Deadline, 12 June 2026
Definition of beat off

Browse Nearby Words

turn away
turn back
turncoat
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Turn back.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/turn%20back. Accessed 18 Aug. 2026.

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