as in to repel
to drive back
a cavalry charge that was turned back by withering fire
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of turn back
Then the clock struck midnight on New Year’s Day, leaving Ole Miss fans to wonder if their offensive coachmen might turn back into mice.
—
Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 9 Jan. 2026
Beyond that, DeCosta needs to turn back the clock and remember how some of the most successful Ravens teams were built.
—The Athletic Nfl Staff, New York Times, 9 Jan. 2026
Stellantis’ forays into EVs on this side of the pond have clearly not gone well, and with federal incentives and emissions targets being axed, the company has turned back hard into stuffing as many Hemis into vehicles that will fit them.
—Adam Ismail, The Drive, 7 Jan. 2026
People like Carnegie and Rockefeller and Mellon turned back to helping the common good.
—Stuart Miller, Oc Register, 6 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for turn back
Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 9 Jan. 2026
Beyond that, DeCosta needs to turn back the clock and remember how some of the most successful Ravens teams were built.
—The Athletic Nfl Staff, New York Times, 9 Jan. 2026
Stellantis’ forays into EVs on this side of the pond have clearly not gone well, and with federal incentives and emissions targets being axed, the company has turned back hard into stuffing as many Hemis into vehicles that will fit them.
—Adam Ismail, The Drive, 7 Jan. 2026
People like Carnegie and Rockefeller and Mellon turned back to helping the common good.
—Stuart Miller, Oc Register, 6 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for turn back
Recent Examples of Synonyms for turn back
Verb
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Political interference in mergers and acquisitions approvals and daily operations repels foreign investment and damages confidence in market operations.—
Jeffrey Sonnenfeld,
Time,
13 Jan. 2026
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The middle layers hold the fluid, and the bottom layers repel it to prevent it from leaking onto your clothing.—
BestReviews,
Chicago Tribune,
12 Jan. 2026
Verb
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All across Minnesota, people are learning about opportunities not just to resist, but to help people who are in danger.—
Pioneer Press,
Twin Cities,
15 Jan. 2026
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While Denmark’s and Greenland’s foreign ministers were in Washington, Denmark’s prime minister Mette Frederiksen was back home resisting this idea, alongside Greenland’s premier Jens-Frederik Nielsen.—
Emma Hinchliffe,
Fortune,
15 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Disappointed sellers turned away, hearts and minds still in hand.—
Pat Beall,
Sun Sentinel,
9 Jan. 2026
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The videos show that her SUV was moving slowly and her wheels were turning away from the ICE agents, critics said.—
Emma Seiwell,
New York Daily News,
8 Jan. 2026
Verb
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For reasons that are quite possibly too unbearable to contemplate, a large group of American voters was not repulsed by such slander—they were actually aroused by it—and our politics have not been the same.—
Jeffrey Goldberg,
The Atlantic,
6 Jan. 2026
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Nicole is the kind of wife who moves out of her father’s home into her husband’s home, and who has been taught to be repulsed by the mushroom spores covering her body, just like all the women in their community.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
2 Jan. 2026
Verb
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As California schools face worsening economic conditions, many districts are bolstering their reserves to stave off deficits.—
Jennah Pendleton,
Sacbee.com,
9 Jan. 2026
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Studies have indicated that anywhere between 15% to 60% of the weight people lose is lean muscle mass, meaning that those who are using the drugs are advised to engage in a weekly exercise routine that includes strength training to stave off too much muscle loss.—
Jack Guy,
CNN Money,
8 Jan. 2026
Verb
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On this play, Tegra Tshabola got beat off the ball, forcing Donaldson to take a different hole before running into a defender who center Carson Hinzman was on until the hole shifted.—
Cameron Teague Robinson,
New York Times,
15 Sep. 2025
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Chip Somodevilla/Pool Photo via AP What To Know Obama beat off stiff competition from the likes of David Attenborough and Tom Hanks to win the Outstanding Narrator prize for his narration of the five-part Netflix series Our Oceans, which examines marine life across the world's oceans.—
Daniel Orton,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Turn back.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/turn%20back. Accessed 20 Jan. 2026.
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