turned back

verb

past tense of turn back
as in repulsed
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 turned back Shopify shoppers turned back the clock to invest in simpler things including better sleep, dumb phones, and fixing old devices instead of just buying new ones, according to June sales data shared first with Retail Brew. — Vidhi Choudhary, Fortune, 7 July 2026 The conversation turned back to what has changed in how distribution has evolved internationally, due to streaming. — Kambole Campbell, Variety, 6 July 2026 As weather conditions deteriorated near the summit, three climbers turned back, while Morup and two colleagues continued their ascent. — ABC News, 2 July 2026 Climbing parties on the Normal Route had turned back earlier in the day. — William Finnegan, New Yorker, 29 June 2026 After one more rejection by Canada, the ship turned back to Europe. — Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board, The Orlando Sentinel, 28 June 2026 Maritime experts said at least four ships subsequently turned back from the corridor. — Eleni Giokos, CNN Money, 27 June 2026 But at least three ships exiting the Persian Gulf through that route turned back Thursday. — Mithil Aggarwal, NBC news, 25 June 2026 Policy was challenged by asylum seekers Thirteen asylum seekers and Al Otro Lado challenged the metering practice in 2017 on behalf of migrants who were turned back to Mexico. — Maureen Groppe, USA Today, 25 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for turned back
  1. repulsed
  2. turned away
  3. repelled
  4. resisted
Verb
  • Plenty of people bought it, plenty were repulsed by it.
    — George Caulkin, New York Times, 11 June 2026
  • Firstman’s debut directorial effort, Club Kid, shrewdly acknowledges those garish personality tics, which have both endeared and repulsed audiences.
    — Richard Lawson, HollywoodReporter, 15 May 2026
Definition of repulsed
Verb
  • But Cece found her in a nightgown, turned away from her screens, facing a small gray orb on the floor.
    — Jessica Contrera, New Yorker, 13 July 2026
  • Spain, among the pre-tournament favorites, were held to a goalless draw by first-time World Cup qualifier Cape Verde, whose 40-year-old goalkeeper Vozinha turned away 27 shots.
    — Daniel Ross Goodman, The Washington Examiner, 11 July 2026
Definition of turned away
Verb
  • Laura felt the rival’s ghost or essence spring away from her, as surely as if repelled.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 13 July 2026
  • Body on the line 💪 But that was not the Wan-Bissaka who repelled Rashford’s attacking threat as England toiled at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
    — Roshane Thomas, New York Times, 2 July 2026
Definition of repelled
Verb
  • Her rebuke comes as Caribbean leaders meet under the Caricom bloc and launch a new slavery reparations manifesto, pressing Britain for apologies, debt cancellation and other measures long resisted in London.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 10 July 2026
  • According to state police, Rice allegedly resisted arrest and engaged troopers in a pursuit.
    — Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 9 July 2026
Definition of resisted

Browse Nearby Words

turned away
turned back
turned color
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Turned back.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/turned%20back. Accessed 14 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of yaw

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

The Words of the Week - Jul 10
See More

Popular

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
banana-mirrored
Contradictory Words Quiz Pick out which word means one thing…and the opp...
See All