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
In early 2013, having ticked her Antarctica box, Koch turned back to her other great passion and applied for admission to NASA’s 21st astronaut class.
—
Jeffrey Kluger, Time, 29 Jan. 2026
Things got off to an inauspicious start when Air Force One was turned back by mechanical issues.
—Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 24 Jan. 2026
The aircraft turned back and landed at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, where the president and those traveling with him were set to board a different aircraft and then resume travel to Switzerland for the global economic conference.
—Lalee Ibssa, ABC News, 21 Jan. 2026
Tom Cruise is Precrime's chief commanding officer, but the program is turned back around on him when he's flagged as a future murderer himself.
—Kevin Jacobsen, Entertainment Weekly, 19 Jan. 2026
The towns’ zoning boards turned back the various proposals, and state courts will now have to determine if their reasons were solid enough to satisfy the 8-30g standards.
—Don Stacom, Hartford Courant, 11 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
But on Sunday, the Bills turned back the clock to the days when passing offense reigned supreme, put themselves in nickel with Cam Lewis, and never came out of it.
—Joe Buscaglia, New York Times, 3 Nov. 2025
Jeffrey Kluger, Time, 29 Jan. 2026
Things got off to an inauspicious start when Air Force One was turned back by mechanical issues.
—Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 24 Jan. 2026
The aircraft turned back and landed at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, where the president and those traveling with him were set to board a different aircraft and then resume travel to Switzerland for the global economic conference.
—Lalee Ibssa, ABC News, 21 Jan. 2026
Tom Cruise is Precrime's chief commanding officer, but the program is turned back around on him when he's flagged as a future murderer himself.
—Kevin Jacobsen, Entertainment Weekly, 19 Jan. 2026
The towns’ zoning boards turned back the various proposals, and state courts will now have to determine if their reasons were solid enough to satisfy the 8-30g standards.
—Don Stacom, Hartford Courant, 11 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
But on Sunday, the Bills turned back the clock to the days when passing offense reigned supreme, put themselves in nickel with Cam Lewis, and never came out of it.
—Joe Buscaglia, New York Times, 3 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for turned back
Verb
-
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
-
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
-
London is so old that wheelchair users are routinely turned away from restaurants, bars, and hotels simply because steps are deemed too beautiful or too invaluable to be replaced or supplemented by ramps.—
Sophie Morgan,
Condé Nast Traveler,
28 Jan. 2026
-
Adi turned away as the needle found its vein, scanning the other man for a reaction but finding none.—
Jonathan Miles,
Harpers Magazine,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
And there were the soldiers of the Army of the Potomac’s II Corps, who successfully repelled Lee’s frontal assault on the Union center.—
Jamelle Bouie,
Mercury News,
29 Jan. 2026
-
The polarising move attracted the right people and repelled the wrong ones without her spending any energy filtering.—
Jodie Cook,
Forbes.com,
21 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
What tends to be lost in the record is how stubbornly Jefferson resisted change.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
29 Jan. 2026
-
Throughout his appearances in court and trial hearings, Yoon has repeatedly resisted investigators’ attempts to question him about his wife.—
Jessie Yeung,
CNN Money,
28 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Turned back.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/turned%20back. Accessed 1 Feb. 2026.
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