TURNED BACK Synonyms: 22 Similar and Opposite Words

turned back

verb

past tense of turn back

as in repulsed

to drive back a cavalry charge that was turned back by withering fire

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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 turned back The fire turned back into California late Thursday morning, burning in Lassen County just above the Sierra County line, fire maps showed. — Darrell Smith, Sacbee.com, 13 Aug. 2026 Eventually, Guccione turned back on his stadium microphone and announced the run would count, leading to further boos. — Mitch Bannon, New York Times, 11 Aug. 2026 The proposal, which called for overhauling the judicial selection process and directly electing Supreme Court justices, was decisively turned back on Tuesday. — Ben Wheeler, Kansas City Star, 5 Aug. 2026 In May, the Court of International Trade turned back another set. — Kevin Rector, Los Angeles Times, 3 Aug. 2026 Paige turned back around to find Nikki Bella hitting her with a clothesline. — Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 2 Aug. 2026 Both Ceuta and Melilla are heavily fortified, and many migrants who arrive in the enclaves are immediately turned back. — Kerry Breen, CBS News, 31 July 2026 Sandy Creek has sat idle since a major failure last year and isn’t expected to be turned back on until March 2027. — Ella Nilsen, CNN Money, 13 July 2026 After his father was repeatedly brought to an operating room at a hospital in Kandahar and turned back without surgery, Amiri posted a video describing the ordeal. — Fatima Faizi, NPR, 10 July 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for turned back

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 repulsed

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 turned away

Verb

When hit by a projectile traveling faster than seven times the speed of sound, the composite held together and resisted destruction.

— Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 20 Aug. 2026
Blonde demonstrated that a superstar could make a culturally consequential album that resisted traditional singles, resisted explanation and, perhaps most importantly, resisted overexposure.

— Desjah Altvater, Forbes.com, 20 Aug. 2026

Definition of resisted

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turned away

turned back

turned color

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“Turned back.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/turned%20back. Accessed 24 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of turned back

verb

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