turned away

verb

past tense of turn away
as in turned back
to drive back using tree branches, the campers were able to turn away the charging fox, which was apparently rabid

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 away There were earthquake survivors who feared calling out for help in the language, in case the rescuers turned away. — Nikhil Krishnan, New Yorker, 20 July 2026 But on the final Sunday Joe’s stayed open, the restaurant turned away hundreds of people already in line rather than risk cutting corners on quality. — Catherina Gioino, Fortune, 19 July 2026 When the men complain of medical conditions to the officers, they are frequently turned away, the families and detainees said in recordings obtained by the Herald. — Syra Ortiz Blanes, Miami Herald, 18 July 2026 Just days before the tournament kicked off, CBP turned away Omar Artan, the African Men’s Referee of the Year, who was set to be the first Somali to referee a FIFA World Cup. — Eduardo Cuevas, USA Today, 16 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 The news comes after LuPone took to Instagram on July 2 to reveal the ship had been turned away from Turkey. — Mckinley Franklin, HollywoodReporter, 11 July 2026 More than 200 people were turned away at the door as the venue reached capacity, with several dozen protesters briefly pushing past security and forcing entry into the room. — Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 10 July 2026 In Baghlan province, students carrying smartphones have been turned away at the university gate. — Fatima Faizi, NPR, 10 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for turned away
  1. turned back
  2. repulsed
  3. repelled
  4. resisted
Verb
  • As the clock ticked down, Boyle took off his headphones, dropped the microphone and turned back into a student, rushing the field with his classmates.
    — Pete Sampson, New York Times, 20 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
Definition of turned back
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 they were outnumbered three or four to one by Argentina fans, who drowned them out with long flat roars whenever their team repelled a Spanish shot, or bundled a player off the pitch.
    — Sam Knight, New Yorker, 20 July 2026
  • In the United States, where Makdisi enrolled in college, she was repelled by American anti-Arab prejudices.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 14 July 2026
Definition of repelled
Verb
  • The initial complaint, filed on the day he was apprehended, alleged Hurtado-Cariaco forcibly resisted arrest, according to a pre-sentencing court filing by McWilliams.
    — Ray Sanchez, CNN Money, 18 July 2026
  • That matters especially in the United States, where patient access, physician burnout and accelerating costs have all resisted incremental fixes.
    — Adam Farren, Forbes.com, 17 July 2026
Definition of resisted

Browse Nearby Words

turned around
turned away
turned back
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Turned away.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/turned%20away. Accessed 23 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 maverick

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Democracy or Republic: What's the difference?

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

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

Do you 'say your piece' or 'say your peace'?

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

Popular in Wordplay

See More

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 24

Why do we say 'fly off the handle'?
See More

Popular

See More

Democracy or Republic: What's the difference?

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List
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
thumbnail graphic with text word of the day quiz
Weekly "Word of the Day" Quiz See how well you know each Word of the Day for Ju...
See All