as in repulsed
to drive back
a cavalry charge that was turned back by withering fire
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Recent Examples of turned back
And oil wells and refineries can’t be turned back on overnight.
—
John Cassidy, New Yorker, 13 Mar. 2026
But the tides have turned back in Mar’s favor.
—Siobhan Reid, Travel + Leisure, 10 Mar. 2026
As the applause continued, his gaze turned back quickly to the ice.
—Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 9 Mar. 2026
Before taking a seat, Doncic turned back toward Redick as reserve forward Jarred Vanderbilt stood up and clapped as if cheering on the Lakers to get in between his teammate and his coach.
—Benjamin Royer, Oc Register, 3 Mar. 2026
Trains were turned back at the West Oakland and Embarcadero stations.
—Cecilio Padilla, CBS News, 23 Feb. 2026
But the group was turned back by Syrian authorities to the Roj detention camp, due to unspecified procedural problems.
—Rod McGuirk, Los Angeles Times, 18 Feb. 2026
Vietnam turned back the Chinese over the course of nine days.
—Lorenzino Estrada, AZCentral.com, 17 Feb. 2026
During that isolation my body turned back to the prison.
—Nick Vivarelli, Variety, 14 Feb. 2026
John Cassidy, New Yorker, 13 Mar. 2026
But the tides have turned back in Mar’s favor.
—Siobhan Reid, Travel + Leisure, 10 Mar. 2026
As the applause continued, his gaze turned back quickly to the ice.
—Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 9 Mar. 2026
Before taking a seat, Doncic turned back toward Redick as reserve forward Jarred Vanderbilt stood up and clapped as if cheering on the Lakers to get in between his teammate and his coach.
—Benjamin Royer, Oc Register, 3 Mar. 2026
Trains were turned back at the West Oakland and Embarcadero stations.
—Cecilio Padilla, CBS News, 23 Feb. 2026
But the group was turned back by Syrian authorities to the Roj detention camp, due to unspecified procedural problems.
—Rod McGuirk, Los Angeles Times, 18 Feb. 2026
Vietnam turned back the Chinese over the course of nine days.
—Lorenzino Estrada, AZCentral.com, 17 Feb. 2026
During that isolation my body turned back to the prison.
—Nick Vivarelli, Variety, 14 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for turned back
Verb
-
And Republicans are among those repulsed by the ongoing scandals.—
Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board,
The Orlando Sentinel,
6 Feb. 2026
-
That effort quickly repulsed decent Americans.—
Chris Brennan,
USA Today,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The patents were similarly denied and the Supreme Court turned away Thaler’s attempt to appeal a lower court’s ruling on the matter in 2023.—
News Desk,
Artforum,
11 Mar. 2026
-
The officer said he was turned away because the facility falls under the state’s jurisdiction, not the tribe’s.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
11 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Qatar’s Defense Ministry said a ballistic missile attack had been repelled, while sirens sounded in Bahrain but there were no reports of impact.—
Jessie Yeung,
CNN Money,
7 Mar. 2026
-
Wasps are naturally repelled by peppermint, clove, geranium, and lemongrass essential oils.—
Mary Marlowe Leverette,
The Spruce,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The suspect resisted and threatened officers, who made the arrest and booked him into the main jail.—
Anne Gelhaus,
Mercury News,
11 Mar. 2026
-
Officers caught up to the suspect, who allegedly resisted arrest but was eventually placed in handcuffs.—
Colleen Cronin,
Boston Herald,
11 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Turned back.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/turned%20back. Accessed 13 Mar. 2026.
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