as in to repel
to drive back
a cavalry charge that was turned back by withering fire
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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
The child clambered arse about face, then turned back and sat still for two seconds before lurching forward.
—
Anne Enright, New Yorker, 27 July 2025
Flex one arm while pointing to the side with your other, then turning 90 degrees to show off both biceps before turning back square to the audience and bending your arms at a right angle to flex your chest and arms repeatedly.
—Kyle Feldscher, CNN Money, 25 July 2025
The monthly number, which represents the percentage of people who are unemployed and looking for work is expected turn back up to 4.2% when the July jobs report is released on Friday, Aug. 1.
—Jim Sergent, USA Today, 30 July 2025
China is building out clean energy at a blistering pace, as the US takes a chainsaw to its wind and solar sectors and makes a hard turn back toward fossil fuels.
—Ella Nilsen, CNN Money, 29 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for turn back
Anne Enright, New Yorker, 27 July 2025
Flex one arm while pointing to the side with your other, then turning 90 degrees to show off both biceps before turning back square to the audience and bending your arms at a right angle to flex your chest and arms repeatedly.
—Kyle Feldscher, CNN Money, 25 July 2025
The monthly number, which represents the percentage of people who are unemployed and looking for work is expected turn back up to 4.2% when the July jobs report is released on Friday, Aug. 1.
—Jim Sergent, USA Today, 30 July 2025
China is building out clean energy at a blistering pace, as the US takes a chainsaw to its wind and solar sectors and makes a hard turn back toward fossil fuels.
—Ella Nilsen, CNN Money, 29 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for turn back
Recent Examples of Synonyms for turn back
Verb
-
Some types of soil and environmental conditions repel water, leaving plant roots and cells depleted of moisture.—
Mary Marlowe Leverette,
Southern Living,
16 Aug. 2025
-
Your strongest beliefs repel the wrong people and magnetize the right ones.—
Jodie Cook,
Forbes.com,
15 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
Don't scratch: A healing tattoo may be itchy, but resist the urge to scratch.—
Mark Gurarie,
Health,
7 Aug. 2025
-
Simply toss the topper, which resists pilling, fading, and shrinking, according to the brand, in the washing machine and tumble dry on low heat for convenient maintenance.—
Maggie Horton,
People.com,
7 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
Or, perhaps preferably, turn away from watermarks and towards tactics that can positively prove an image’s authenticity, such as content credentials.—
IEEE Spectrum,
IEEE Spectrum,
7 Aug. 2025
-
Americans don’t have a legal right to a bank account, and lenders often turn away people or businesses to comply with a mountain of rules and regulations designed to protect the financial system.—
Allison Morrow,
CNN Money,
7 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
Like Einstein, Brassard feels repulsed by the way the particles in the Bell experiment seem to have firsthand awareness of each other despite being separated by, in principle, light-years of space.—
Quanta Magazine,
Quanta Magazine,
8 Aug. 2025
-
This is something that finally repulses Ivor, and that Orla also grapples with.—
Deborah Treisman,
New Yorker,
27 July 2025
Verb
-
The price cap was rolled out to equal parts skepticism and hopefulness that the policy would stave off Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.—
Leo Schwartz,
Fortune,
7 Aug. 2025
-
The star, which orbits within the Milky Way some 600 light-years from Earth, has long since used up its hydrogen fuel and has transitioned to fusing heavier elements in a bid to stave off its gravitational collapse.—
Anthony Wood,
Space.com,
3 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Turn back.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/turn%20back. Accessed 20 Aug. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share