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

For example, Blue Eastern red-cedar (Juniperus virginiana ‘Glauca’) is a narrow, upright, columnar evergreen tree that grows 20 to 25 feet high and 8 to 10 feet wide, with silver-blue spring foliage that turns blue-green in summer. — Beth Botts, Chicago Tribune, 8 Nov. 2026 Sometimes the coral turns colorfully fluorescent before bleaching. — Connie Hanzhang Jin, NPR, 8 Nov. 2026 That dream was recently proved false, however, when a group of theoretical physicists found that no light-bending material can ever be fully transparent, owing to a quantum process that turns waves of light into waves of sound. — Matthew Von Hippel, Scientific American, 7 Nov. 2026 Tiers of Joy turns clients’ old china into functional, custom serving stands that double as works of art and new family heirlooms. — Jennifer Bradley Franklin, Southern Living, 7 Nov. 2026 Instead, this is a song about how being utterly enamored turns the person who’s crushing into a maniac. — Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 6 Nov. 2026 Starting at the corner of 77th Street and Central Park West, the route heads south to Columbus Circle and then turns east, heading along 59th Street to Sixth Avenue. — Rachel Chang, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Nov. 2026 The study explains that calcium chloride turns lecithin into long, worm-like structures called micelles. — Maria Mocerino, Interesting Engineering, 2 Nov. 2026 Fernández needs to give them clearer answers when the game turns. — C.j. Holmes, New York Daily News, 1 Nov. 2026

Noun

But give the prism a couple of turns and her shape starts to stretch and bleed. — Sara Holdren, Vulture, 6 Nov. 2026 Hence, the in-character appearances, along with underlining Depp’s penchant for transformative turns (though no further ones are planned). — J. Kim Murphy, IndieWire, 6 Nov. 2026 The route passes through neighborhoods including NoDa and Plaza Midwood, offering lively pockets of support but also quieter stretches, awkward turns and hills that can feel particularly unforgiving late in the race. — Théoden Janes, Charlotte Observer, 5 Nov. 2026 The race stewards had been extremely clear that leaving the track and gaining a permanent advantage at turns 1 or 4 on the first lap would result in a penalty unless the driver gave the place back. — Jonathan M. Gitlin, ArsTechnica, 2 Nov. 2026 Teare played footage from Morales’ body camera on Friday that showed the agent making sharp turns with his steering wheel. — Cybele Mayes-Osterman, Chicago Tribune, 1 Nov. 2026 After a few turns, the system may forget what was already asked and answered. — Xin Guo, Forbes.com, 30 Oct. 2026 And actress Sarah Pidgeon, who portrays Bessette Kennedy in Ryan Murphy’s series, is still channeling her style for red-carpet turns. — Rosemary Feitelberg, Footwear News, 29 Oct. 2026 In Park Slope, for example, the whispers start even before the first leaf turns. — Anna Grace Lee, Vogue, 23 Oct. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for turns

Verb

Glenn rotates pass rushers, and nine different Jets have a sack, as New York is tied for fifth with 17 sacks as a team.

— David Furones, Sun Sentinel, 22 Oct. 2026
The company’s latest hardware, called Helios, rotates the ions around a ring, selectively shifting the appropriate ones into one of two arms where measurements and operations of the ions’ quantum states can be performed using lasers.

— ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of rotates

Verb

The Netflix series gently deviates from the source material at times, including swapping the book’s Lord Caterham for Lady Caterham, played by Helena Bonham Carter.

— K.J. Yossman, Variety, 12 Oct. 2026
Her position deviates from her religion as a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which publicly opposes the ballot measure.

— Kevin Fixler, Idaho Statesman, 25 Sep. 2026

Definition of deviates

Verb

But across this wolf may cry, her breathy delivery becomes so uniform that longing, frustration, and romantic desperation frequently sound indistinguishable.

— Precious Fondren, Pitchfork, 6 Nov. 2026
An arrangement becomes easier to trust when responsibility has an end as well as a beginning.

— Tarot.com, The Orlando Sentinel, 6 Nov. 2026

Definition of becomes

Verb

But if that entire situation revolves on a supply chain that is based on one country, then that is clearly not a healthy situation.

— Prashant Rao, semafor.com, 26 Oct. 2026
Along with the tempo and play-making trio, West Virginia’s philosophy also revolves heavily around getting playmakers in space.

— Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 21 Oct. 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

Definition of ponders

Verb

Storms last weekend dumped the equivalent of more than two years of water into the town's surface water supply and provided a buffer for an operation that depends heavily on underground aquifers, Huntzinger said.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 9 Nov. 2026
The result depends on the assumption that nuclear reaction rates and neutron decay follow the same scaling as the expansion rate.

— Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 8 Nov. 2026

Definition of depends

Verb

Through stoicism, Nighthawks spins the dark side of American life as cool; its quiet menace is slick and alluring, and its lonesome, shadowy characters are iconic.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 26 Oct. 2026
In a flowing, ice-blond wig, Ashford’s character spins an escalating series of imperial atrocities.

— Mariah Kreutter, New York Times, 22 Oct. 2026