as in turning back
to drive back
using tree branches, the campers were able to turn away the charging fox, which was apparently rabid
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Recent Examples of turning away
Of course young voters are turning away from the president.
—
Martha McHardy, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 Oct. 2025
Bradley cited the classic work of sociology, Robert Putnam’s Bowling Alone, with the memorable thesis that Americans were turning away from community.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 18 Oct. 2025
Steve Rubell, as a sort of publicity stunt, had started turning away celebrities in order to make the newspapers.
—Michael Schulman, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2025
Coders are now turning away from many of the public expressions of interest in different languages (like Google searches and Stack Exchange queries), which have served as key metrics for the ranking since 2013.
—IEEE Spectrum, 9 Oct. 2025
Additionally, young people are turning away from alcohol more frequently.
—Enquirer Staff, Cincinnati Enquirer, 8 Oct. 2025
Students from the kingdom are increasingly turning away from US universities in particular, put off by a mix of hostile immigration policies, concerns over gun violence, and the kingdom’s own push to grow its domestic education sector.
—Manal Albarakati, semafor.com, 26 Sep. 2025
Local solar installers are now fully booked and turning away new customers ahead of the December 31 deadline.
—Francesca Pica, jsonline.com, 24 Sep. 2025
And did a focus on militant Islamism mean turning away from threats posed by white supremacist groups?
—September 11, NPR, 11 Sep. 2025
Martha McHardy, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 Oct. 2025
Bradley cited the classic work of sociology, Robert Putnam’s Bowling Alone, with the memorable thesis that Americans were turning away from community.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 18 Oct. 2025
Steve Rubell, as a sort of publicity stunt, had started turning away celebrities in order to make the newspapers.
—Michael Schulman, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2025
Coders are now turning away from many of the public expressions of interest in different languages (like Google searches and Stack Exchange queries), which have served as key metrics for the ranking since 2013.
—IEEE Spectrum, 9 Oct. 2025
Additionally, young people are turning away from alcohol more frequently.
—Enquirer Staff, Cincinnati Enquirer, 8 Oct. 2025
Students from the kingdom are increasingly turning away from US universities in particular, put off by a mix of hostile immigration policies, concerns over gun violence, and the kingdom’s own push to grow its domestic education sector.
—Manal Albarakati, semafor.com, 26 Sep. 2025
Local solar installers are now fully booked and turning away new customers ahead of the December 31 deadline.
—Francesca Pica, jsonline.com, 24 Sep. 2025
And did a focus on militant Islamism mean turning away from threats posed by white supremacist groups?
—September 11, NPR, 11 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for turning away
Verb
-
When Genevieve’s physics experiment at the 1934 Chicago World’s Fair goes explosively wrong, Ash jumps in to save the day, turning back time by a few minutes to prevent disaster.—
Caroline Carlson,
Literary Hub,
3 Nov. 2025
-
When the bags are on the heads, there is no turning back.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
31 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The Ukrainian General Staff said the military was repelling attacks in the Kupyansk area, and that two settlements north of Pokrovsk in the Donetsk region had been retaken over the past several days.—
Boston Herald Wire Services,
Boston Herald,
27 Oct. 2025
-
These fabrics are known for repelling dust mites, mold, mildew, and other allergens much more effectively than traditional down.—
Julia Harrison,
Architectural Digest,
24 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Martinez and Ruiz were present in court Wednesday and both have entered not guilty pleas to a federal charge of assaulting, resisting or impeding federal officers.—
Omar Jimenez,
CNN Money,
6 Nov. 2025
-
Dunn is charged with assaulting, resisting, opposing, impeding, intimidating and interfering with a federal officer.—
Sydney Lake,
Fortune,
5 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Turning away.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/turning%20away. Accessed 8 Nov. 2025.
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