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Definition of turnnext
1
as in to rotate
to move (something) in a curved or circular path on or as if on an axis turned the doorknob as quietly as possible

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2
as in to swing
to change the course or direction of (something) the dog turned the stampeding flock of sheep around he turned his cart uphill

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3
as in to deviate
to change one's course or direction we turned left at the light the storm unexpectedly turned south and missed our area

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4
as in to become
to eventually have as a state or quality will turn 12 in six months

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7
as in to depend
to be determined by, based on, or subject (to) what we do next turns on your answer to the following question

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8
as in to spin
to be in a confused state as if from being twirled around all the new information made his head turn

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9
as in to persuade
to cause to have often negative opinions formed without sufficient knowledge he did his best to turn his new friends against his ex-wife

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turn

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noun (1)

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as in bout
a sudden experiencing of a physical or mental disorder a sudden turn of dizziness that may have been brought on by a change in her medication

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6
as in act
a performance regularly presented by an individual or group between the show's two major musical acts, there was a short turn by a juggling troupe

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turn (on)

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verb (2)

turn-on

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noun (2)

turn on

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verb (3)

turn (to)

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verb (4)

as in to go (to)
to use or seek out as a source of aid, relief, or advantage no need to turn to violence when we can talk things out peacefully

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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
Verb
Declaring victory for women investors while ignoring why women own less stock turns a gender difference into a gender war and misses the entire point. Teresa Ghilarducci, Forbes.com, 14 June 2026 With the president turning 80 (and celebrating with a UFC bash) on Sunday, the New York Times asked several prominent octogenarians — like Liza Minnelli, Robert De Niro, Art Garfunkel, and the 85-year-old Dylan — about the best and worst things about the milestone birthday. Daniel Kreps, Rolling Stone, 14 June 2026
Noun
At 1964 Tokyo Olympics Closter’s professional journey took several unusual turns early in his career. Peter Chawaga, Forbes.com, 13 June 2026 What began as an act of solidarity ultimately took a bitter turn for a National Park Service biologist. Jasmine Mendez, Los Angeles Times, 13 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for turn
Recent Examples of Synonyms for turn
Verb
  • Another round of storms will develop near an advancing cold front in the afternoon across northeast Kansas, southern Iowa, and northern Missouri, possibly starting as supercells — large rotating thunderstorms — with very large hail, damaging winds, and a few tornadoes, the weather service said.
    Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 12 June 2026
  • The dinner costs $70, and the menu rotates regularly.
    Michael Deeds, Idaho Statesman, 12 June 2026
Verb
  • From this perspective, the pendulum has fully swung from being near resistance and overbought to being near support and oversold.
    Frank Cappelleri, CNBC, 10 June 2026
  • Once the board was attached, the contestant swung the board around by, yep, the spike in his nose.
    Raechal Shewfelt, Entertainment Weekly, 10 June 2026
Verb
  • Some systems deviate significantly from this proto-structure.
    Doris Elin Urrutia, Space.com, 8 June 2026
  • Did the driver deviate from their route?
    Toni Pisano, Forbes.com, 1 June 2026
Verb
  • The Spurs became the first team in the play-by-play era, which started in the 1996-97 season, to lead five Finals games by 10 points or more in first quarters.
    Tim Reynolds, Los Angeles Times, 14 June 2026
  • Before Game 4, Knicks owner James Dolan decided to go into a PR war with Mayor Zohran Mamdani, bickering over the status of the watch party that had become a staple outside the Garden in earlier rounds.
    Kyle Feldscher, CNN Money, 14 June 2026
Verb
  • Clients who receive financial counseling substantially reduce their revolving debt over time.
    Ali Besharat, The Conversation, 4 June 2026
  • United spent around £250million on new players in 2025-26, even without Champions League football, leaning heavily into their short-term revolving credit facility (RCF) to meet cashflow needs.
    Mark Critchley, New York Times, 2 June 2026
Verb
  • That’s in addition to problems like data drift, bias in training data, black swan events, and other things that the panelists touched on in pondering the challenges of instituting these systems in a highly regulated industry.
    John Werner, Forbes.com, 14 June 2026
  • And ponder permits for multifamily units, primarily housing in apartment complexes.
    Jonathan Lansner, Oc Register, 12 June 2026
Verb
  • Spain depend on his genius every bit as much as Barcelona.
    Liam Twomey, New York Times, 11 June 2026
  • The deeper resonance depends on each person’s particular context.
    Hannah Keyser, CNN Money, 11 June 2026
Verb
  • Researchers said charge redistribution, orbital hybridization and spin modulation at the interface helped optimize the catalyst’s behavior during oxygen reduction.
    Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 13 June 2026
  • Alchemist Kitchen spins food business gold Several of the businesses identified are graduates of the Alchemist Microenterprise Academy (AMA), a 12-week business training course that teaches the basics of starting a food business.
    Sean Timberlake, Sacbee.com, 12 June 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Turn.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/turn. Accessed 16 Jun. 2026.

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