as in to repel
to drive back
a cavalry charge that was turned back by withering fire
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of turn back
These brave troops deployed to the border, surging into the chaos to defend our homeland, turn back the invasion, and secure the border.
—
Riley Moore, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 Aug. 2025
In November, millions of Americans will turn back their clocks, marking the end of daylight saving time in 2025.
—Haadiza Ogwude, The Enquirer, 14 Aug. 2025
But the physical efforts of the two earlier attempts caught up with him, and Andrews turned back just 1,400 feet below the summit after he was overcome by exhaustion.
—Ben Ayers, Outside, 13 Aug. 2025
Next, turn back to your right again and find another object and notice all of the details: shape, colors, size and so forth.
—Bryan Robinson, Forbes.com, 9 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for turn back
Riley Moore, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 Aug. 2025
In November, millions of Americans will turn back their clocks, marking the end of daylight saving time in 2025.
—Haadiza Ogwude, The Enquirer, 14 Aug. 2025
But the physical efforts of the two earlier attempts caught up with him, and Andrews turned back just 1,400 feet below the summit after he was overcome by exhaustion.
—Ben Ayers, Outside, 13 Aug. 2025
Next, turn back to your right again and find another object and notice all of the details: shape, colors, size and so forth.
—Bryan Robinson, Forbes.com, 9 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for turn back
Recent Examples of Synonyms for turn back
Verb
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Spraying clothing with the pesticide Permethrin, which repels mosquitoes and ticks.—
Karissa Waddick,
USA Today,
29 Aug. 2025
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The rice husk, which is mixed with diatomaceous earth — a porous material consisting of fossilised diatoms — provides thermal insulation, repels pests and resists humidity.—
Faye Bradley,
CNN Money,
28 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Money Idaho legislators have long resisted spending — or letting local governments spend.—
Idaho Statesman,
Idaho Statesman,
22 Aug. 2025
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So far, the Federal Reserve has resisted cutting rates over concerns that tariffs would fuel an inflationary spike, and policymakers were closely watching the economic data over the summer, which gave a mixed picture across inflation and employment.—
Shane Croucher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
22 Aug. 2025
Verb
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There were additional chances, but the Royals were turned away in short order.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
23 Aug. 2025
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Former negotiators and security chiefs have been blunt: the government has turned away from every viable offramp, playing even Trump in the process.—
Yonatan Touval,
Time,
22 Aug. 2025
Verb
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These schemes produced hair collections that survive today, no doubt bewildering (and possibly repulsing) generations of archivists.—
Margaret Talbot,
New Yorker,
21 July 2025
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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
Verb
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Trump had managed to stave off immediate collection by posting a $175 million bond earlier this year.—
Gabe Whisnant,
MSNBC Newsweek,
21 Aug. 2025
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Nobody tapped out during episode 9, and Alone Africa’s three remaining participants—Nathan, Kelsey, and Katie—performed the daily ritual of pursuing food, purifying water, and staving off hunger.—
Frederick Dreier,
Outside,
18 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Turn back.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/turn%20back. Accessed 1 Sep. 2025.
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