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

Nancy, who turns 49 in December, gets how to fire up the SEC base. — Joe Kinsey Outkick, FOXNews.com, 20 Sep. 2026 When the Farmer destroys the flock’s beloved pumpkin patch, Shaun turns mad scientist to fix the problem, only for events to spiral out of control as a wild beast roams the woods of Mossingham. — Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 20 Sep. 2026 This year’s showcase is especially interesting as Queer Lisboa is hitting 30 at the same time BFI Flare in London turns 40 and San Francisco’s Frameline turns 50, David notes. — Ed Meza, Variety, 19 Sep. 2026 Pairing meals with physical activity and other enrichment turns a site that once served only a summer meal into a place children want to visit and spend time. — Tim Grailer, Fortune, 19 Sep. 2026 That in turn feeds ‘The Ticker’, the basic on-screen representation of the score and ‘The Computer’, another programme that turns that raw information into the more intricate graphics that appear on the screen. — Nick Miller, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2026 Teaching students to actively hunt for where logic breaks turns them from passive consumers into sharp, critical evaluators of AI systems. — Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2026 In late August, the hotel turns into a red-carpet event for celebrities, stars of the silver screen, and various hangers-on at the Venice Film Festival to which the Excelsior is inexorably linked, now enjoying its 10th decade. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 8 Sep. 2026 Taylor, who turns 32 next month, has a club option for next season; Ruiz, 27, is out of contract at the end of the season but has options for the next two years; and Calegari, 24, is signed through June 2029. — Kevin Baxter, Los Angeles Times, 8 Sep. 2026

Noun

That’s because the tight turns and circles could result in a crash if all helicopters remain in pursuit. — Los Angeles Times, 19 Sep. 2026 Gemini May 21 – June 20 Busy air brings chatter and quick turns. — Tarot.com, New York Daily News, 15 Sep. 2026 Both tracks have plenty of blind corners, are lined with walls, and feature high-speed turns. — Madeline Coleman, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026 Interestingly, these turns don’t add any particular resonance to Company, which often feels like a meaning in search of a story. — Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 10 Sep. 2026 The entire cast is well chosen, with nice turns also from Katherine Waterston as the somewhat sympathetic Countess, Jonny Lee Miller as Mayor Walworth, and Sky Yang as Scribe, among others. — Pete Hammond, Deadline, 9 Sep. 2026 County plans called for a bridge nearly 1,200 feet long and roughly 400 feet above the river, eliminating several of the hairpin turns that lead to the old crossing. — Cecilio Padilla, CBS News, 9 Sep. 2026 Selectively stimulating its left and right sides allowed straight swimming, left and right turns, circles and U-turns. — New Atlas, 8 Sep. 2026 When a franchise goes through coaching turns, multi-year playoff droughts, and bottom-of-the-barrel divisional finishes, finding basic baseline competency becomes the top priority. — David Troy Outkick, FOXNews.com, 7 Sep. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for turns

Verb

The new Ryan Field rotates everything by 25 degrees to create a larger outdoor plaza area at each of its four corners.

— Edward Keegan, Chicago Tribune, 19 Sep. 2026
Yet one explanation for the way the market rotates money from pocket to pocket rather than making outright progress is the fully committed positioning of the household investing sector.

— Michael Santoli, CNBC, 15 Sep. 2026

Definition of rotates

Verb

Without a buffer, the operation swings violently with every external event.

— Nilton Bernini, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2026
Rahaf swings her prosthetics to the song, and at one point, wraps her small arms around Accurso’s neck — following the song’s instructions and pretending to be asleep.

— CT Jones, Rolling Stone, 15 Sep. 2026

Definition of swings

Verb

The play becomes an intellectual exercise — often a technically compelling one, and one that thankfully observes the comedy of Chekhov’s struggling souls as much as their tragedy.

— Sara Holdren, Vulture, 18 Sep. 2026
The faster the growth, the more Nvidia's reliance on the AI investment cycle becomes a central market focal point.

— , CNBC, 18 Sep. 2026

Definition of becomes

Verb

Lialina’s practice as an artist and archivist revolves the uneven promises of permanence, loss, maintenance, and distribution that the internet, in its many formats and phases, represents.

— Shanti Escalante-De Mattei, ARTnews.com, 14 Sep. 2026
Repayment happens as customers settle their invoices, and the facility essentially revolves, with fresh invoices replacing those that have been paid off.

— Amit Singhania, Forbes.com, 14 Sep. 2026

Definition of revolves

Verb

As is often the case in both real life and the movies, this modern millennial lady ponders this very question all the time.

— Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 13 Sep. 2026
Nacua, who expects to play against the 49ers as the NFL ponders a potential suspension for violating the league’s personal conduct policy, returned to practice last week.

— Benjamin Royer, Oc Register, 8 Sep. 2026