as in attacks
to take sudden, violent action against
it is dangerous to keep tigers as house pets, as they often turn on their masters without warning
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in thrills
to cause a pleasurable stimulation of the feelings
unsurprisingly, the fanboys were turned on by the movie's amazing special effects and slam-bang plot
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in triggers
to cause to function
would you turn on the TV?
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of turns (on)
Timothy Dale, The Spruce, 16 Apr. 2026
The film turns on two grandmothers with opposing visions – Nancy, drawn to what lies outside the forest, and Huanginkamu, committed to defending her ancestral home – as López Rubio reflects on the implications of her own filmmaking presence.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 15 Apr. 2026
What happens then, when the Ohio data center turns on its nighttime lights?
—Arik Levinson, Mercury News, 7 Apr. 2026
The issue turns on the extent of what's known as the citizenship clause in the 14th Amendment.
—Frank Vaisvilas, jsonline.com, 1 Apr. 2026
Once the ship’s computer, HAL 9000, turns on the crew, astronaut Dave Bowman is left alone, moving through a vessel that no longer feels entirely under human control, HAL’s calm voice still speaking as if nothing is wrong.
—Los Angeles Times, 19 Mar. 2026
Modulators then control when each beam turns on and off.
—Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 12 Mar. 2026
While on the show, Esparza found the time for memorable turns on BoJack Horseman, Hannibal, and Dopesick, and has also made a cameo on SVU’s spinoff, Organized Crime.
—Chris Snellgrove, Entertainment Weekly, 26 Feb. 2026
Tone turns on a dime, the acting broad one minute, somber the next.
—Manuel Mendoza, Dallas Morning News, 19 Feb. 2026
Verb
Manually lift the float switch to ensure the motor turns on.
—Timothy Dale, The Spruce, 16 Apr. 2026
The film turns on two grandmothers with opposing visions – Nancy, drawn to what lies outside the forest, and Huanginkamu, committed to defending her ancestral home – as López Rubio reflects on the implications of her own filmmaking presence.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 15 Apr. 2026
What happens then, when the Ohio data center turns on its nighttime lights?
—Arik Levinson, Mercury News, 7 Apr. 2026
The issue turns on the extent of what's known as the citizenship clause in the 14th Amendment.
—Frank Vaisvilas, jsonline.com, 1 Apr. 2026
Once the ship’s computer, HAL 9000, turns on the crew, astronaut Dave Bowman is left alone, moving through a vessel that no longer feels entirely under human control, HAL’s calm voice still speaking as if nothing is wrong.
—Los Angeles Times, 19 Mar. 2026
Modulators then control when each beam turns on and off.
—Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 12 Mar. 2026
While on the show, Esparza found the time for memorable turns on BoJack Horseman, Hannibal, and Dopesick, and has also made a cameo on SVU’s spinoff, Organized Crime.
—Chris Snellgrove, Entertainment Weekly, 26 Feb. 2026
Tone turns on a dime, the acting broad one minute, somber the next.
—Manuel Mendoza, Dallas Morning News, 19 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Turns (on).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/turns%20%28on%29. Accessed 21 Apr. 2026.
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