as in turning away
to drive back
a cavalry charge that was turned back by withering fire
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Recent Examples of turning back
Week 4 highlights featured Willow Glen’s comeback win over Christopher, Foothill’s Max Shuga making an amazing catch to set up the winning touchdown against San Leandro, Piedmont turning back Aragon, De La Salle holding off Grant-Sacramento and more.
—
Darren Sabedra, Mercury News, 21 Sep. 2025
Advertisement Advertisement Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam have said there is no turning back on this project, despite staunch opposition from Hezbollah.
—Bilal Y. Saab, Time, 18 Sep. 2025
The steam then goes to a condenser where it’s cooled by seawater, turning back into water to be pumped back to the steam generator, repeating the cycle.
—Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 17 Sep. 2025
The back caught just two of his six targets, earned Nix’s slight ire after not turning back for the ball on a third down, and was relegated mostly to the bench in the second half.
—Luca Evans, Denver Post, 8 Sep. 2025
And, George, turning back to Chicago.
—ABC News, 7 Sep. 2025
Chapman is in the midst of a career season at age 37, turning back the clock to re-establish himself as one of baseball’s most dominant closers.
—Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 31 Aug. 2025
Lane picked up three on first down, but the Otay Ranch defense stiffened, turning back the next two runs for no gain.
—Kevin J. Farmer, San Diego Union-Tribune, 30 Aug. 2025
The emphasis is less on turning back the clock than on maintaining skin health over time.
—Carol Rh Malasig, Forbes.com, 28 Aug. 2025
Darren Sabedra, Mercury News, 21 Sep. 2025
Advertisement Advertisement Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam have said there is no turning back on this project, despite staunch opposition from Hezbollah.
—Bilal Y. Saab, Time, 18 Sep. 2025
The steam then goes to a condenser where it’s cooled by seawater, turning back into water to be pumped back to the steam generator, repeating the cycle.
—Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 17 Sep. 2025
The back caught just two of his six targets, earned Nix’s slight ire after not turning back for the ball on a third down, and was relegated mostly to the bench in the second half.
—Luca Evans, Denver Post, 8 Sep. 2025
And, George, turning back to Chicago.
—ABC News, 7 Sep. 2025
Chapman is in the midst of a career season at age 37, turning back the clock to re-establish himself as one of baseball’s most dominant closers.
—Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 31 Aug. 2025
Lane picked up three on first down, but the Otay Ranch defense stiffened, turning back the next two runs for no gain.
—Kevin J. Farmer, San Diego Union-Tribune, 30 Aug. 2025
The emphasis is less on turning back the clock than on maintaining skin health over time.
—Carol Rh Malasig, Forbes.com, 28 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for turning back
Verb
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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
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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
Verb
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Realistically, your best chance of success at naturally repelling rats may be using predator urine, repellent pouches, or ultrasonic devices that require less worry and upkeep.—
Mary Cornetta,
Better Homes & Gardens,
22 Sep. 2025
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Vietnam's Duc Phuc, whose song was based on a folktale about a king famous for repelling an enemy army, was crowned the strongest act by a jury made up of participating countries.—
Andrew Osborn,
USA Today,
21 Sep. 2025
Verb
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But Democrats have found sturdy ground resisting attempts to police their speech following the assassination of Charlie Kirk.—
David Weigel,
semafor.com,
24 Sep. 2025
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On TikTok and Instagram, hashtags like #SlowDating and #IntentionalDating have racked up thousands of views as people share stories about resisting hookup culture, choosing themselves, and taking relationships at their own pace.—
Essence,
Essence,
24 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Turning back.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/turning%20back. Accessed 30 Sep. 2025.
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