TURNS Synonyms: 343 Similar and Opposite Words

turns 1 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of turn

as in rotates

to move (something) in a curved or circular path on or as if on an axis turned the doorknob as quietly as possible

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Relevance

as in swings

to change the course or direction of (something) the dog turned the stampeding flock of sheep around he turned his cart uphill

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as in deviates

to change one's course or direction we turned left at the light the storm unexpectedly turned south and missed our area

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as in becomes

to eventually have as a state or quality will turn 12 in six months

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as in revolves

to move in circles around an axis or center the wheels turned, but the car was hopelessly stuck and wasn't moving

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as in ponders

to give serious and careful thought to turned the question every which way but could find no answer

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as in depends

to be determined by, based on, or subject (to) what we do next turns on your answer to the following question

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as in spins

to be in a confused state as if from being twirled around all the new information made his head turn

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as in convinces

to cause to have often negative opinions formed without sufficient knowledge he did his best to turn his new friends against his ex-wife

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turns

2 of 2

noun

plural of turn

as in walks

a relaxed journey on foot for exercise or pleasure would you care to take a turn around the garden?

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as in services

an act of kind assistance one good turn deserves another

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as in tendencies

a habitual attraction to some activity or thing an adventurous turn of mind that led him toward more physical activities like biking and skateboarding

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as in bends

something that curves or is curved right after this turn in the road you'll find the antiques shop on the right

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as in bouts

a sudden experiencing of a physical or mental disorder a sudden turn of dizziness that may have been brought on by a change in her medication

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as in acts

a performance regularly presented by an individual or group between the show's two major musical acts, there was a short turn by a juggling troupe

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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 turns

Verb

Using the Corsairs to strike a fortified naval port directly without risking human operators turns that tactic on its head. — David Szondy july 13, New Atlas, 14 July 2026 The additional wattage turns the usual 2-D projection into a 3-D production. — Catherine Garcia, TheWeek, 14 July 2026 Owens, who turns 97 on Thursday, said of deceased parents Homer and Annie Owens. — Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 13 July 2026 Sports psychologists say recovery often turns a corner when people stop trying to reclaim the past and begin building a new future. — ABC News, 13 July 2026 England offers the 1-2 punch of Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham, and Spain presents the promise of budding superstar Lamine Yamal, who turns 19 today — 20 years Messi’s junior. — Miami Herald, 13 July 2026 After a short while, those types of surprises and turns kind of suck. — Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 13 July 2026 For solo travel especially, that kind of frictionless movement turns a long travel day—ship to terminal to street—into something that feels far more manageable. — Samantha Leal, Travel + Leisure, 13 July 2026 Everything the man is touching nowadays turns into gold for him and rot for the rest of us, a curse any smart person would avoid. — Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 8 July 2026

Noun

Nick Bennette, who was testing a different type of adaptive bike, got hung up on several tight turns. — Nina Keck, NPR, 9 July 2026 Furthermore, a pilot will use high-G maneuvers like downward vertical turns and spirals, and those maneuvers are strikingly similar to dragonflies engaged in aerial combat. — Jennifer Ouellette, ArsTechnica, 7 July 2026 In major cities like New York or London, the cost of living turns dating into a class issue. — Meehika Barua, Time, 6 July 2026 Handling is responsive and precise during turns, which is exactly what drivers need from such a small and mighty vehicle. — Charles Singh, USA Today, 6 July 2026 The right-hander struck out six and walked two while losing his fifth straight start and remaining winless over his past six turns. — Miami Herald, 5 July 2026 Melting suet turns rancid fast and creates a mess of bird plumage. — Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 4 July 2026 But pretty much all of his other major starring turns have left me cold. — Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 3 July 2026 Co-directed by The Vow's Jehane Noujaim and Vikram Gandhi, this four-part series dives deep into the twists and turns of Burning Man, with access to leadership from throughout the years. — K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 3 July 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for turns

Verb

The band rotates through instruments, including alpenhorns, cow bells, and a xylophone, and invites guests onto the floor to polka.

— Jacqueline Dole, Southern Living, 10 July 2026
The author rotates in and out of the lives of her cast, teasing out perspectives, manifesting the notion that friendships are what hold us together, year in, year out.

— Hamilton Cain, Time, 7 July 2026

Definition of rotates

Verb

Beat a prime Holloway at 170, though, and the door swings back open to the paydays he's chased since the rematch became official.

— Brian Mazique, Forbes.com, 4 July 2026
Winnebago foregoes the floor-to-ceiling sliding or rotating wall (or entire room) some manufacturers install in favor of a partial wall that swings the sink over top the toilet to clear out the shower.

— New Atlas, New Atlas, 3 July 2026

Definition of swings

Verb

According to the distillery, the whiskey is made using the same distillation and barrel-entry proof as the core bourbon, but then deviates from there.

— Jonah Flicker, Robb Report, 7 July 2026
The Washington Post spoke to seven current and former National Park Service staffers who said the policy deviates from the agency’s long-standing approach to release as much information as possible.

— Suzanne Rowan Kelleher, Forbes.com, 25 June 2026

Definition of deviates

Verb

As launching hardware becomes routine, demand for these bespoke capabilities will likely keep growing, regardless of who does the building.

— Charlotte Kiang, Forbes.com, 9 July 2026
What could have been a throwaway nibble instead becomes a thought-through, gripping preface that sets up what’s to come.

— Bill Addison, Los Angeles Times, 9 July 2026

Definition of becomes

Verb

Vieira ponders the dilemma from his own perspective as a coach, having had spells in charge at New York City, Nice, Crystal Palace, Strasbourg and Genoa.

— Oliver Kay, New York Times, 15 June 2026
As coach John Hynes ponders his Game 1 starter, the recent numbers will show that Wallstedt has allowed a total of four goals in his final two regular-season starts, while veteran Filip Gustavsson has been touched for 10 in the same span.

— Jess Myers, Twin Cities, 15 Apr. 2026

Definition of ponders

Verb

The Catherine wheel of anxiety spins in the largest military alliance in history, with some justification.

— Nick Paton Walsh, CNN Money, 6 July 2026
An agitator is a post in the machine’s center that twists so the clothes can rub against each other, while impellers have a cone or disc on the bottom of the drum that spins.

— BestReviews, Chicago Tribune, 6 July 2026