as in turns away
to drive back
a cavalry charge that was turned back by withering fire
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of turns back
Their discussion then turns back to the potential of a romance—and heartbreak—between them.
—
Bailey Bujnosek, InStyle, 21 Feb. 2026
Doing so will ensure your paperwork is processed and ready to go when the spigot turns back on.
—Cathie Anderson, Sacbee.com, 30 Oct. 2025
And Keenan Allen turns back the clock.
—Joe Nguyen, Denver Post, 21 Sep. 2025
Law plays Jake Friedken, a hotshot restaurant owner whose life is thrown into chaos when his black sheep older brother, Vince (Jason Bateman), turns back up after years on the run.
—Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 19 Sep. 2025
The third and final part focuses on the President (Idris Elba), who as the clock turns back again is making an appearance at a basketball game.
—Pete Hammond, Deadline, 2 Sep. 2025
Bailey Bujnosek, InStyle, 21 Feb. 2026
Doing so will ensure your paperwork is processed and ready to go when the spigot turns back on.
—Cathie Anderson, Sacbee.com, 30 Oct. 2025
And Keenan Allen turns back the clock.
—Joe Nguyen, Denver Post, 21 Sep. 2025
Law plays Jake Friedken, a hotshot restaurant owner whose life is thrown into chaos when his black sheep older brother, Vince (Jason Bateman), turns back up after years on the run.
—Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 19 Sep. 2025
The third and final part focuses on the President (Idris Elba), who as the clock turns back again is making an appearance at a basketball game.
—Pete Hammond, Deadline, 2 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for turns back
Verb
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And this worry usually arises when a dog turns away from food, gets a stomach ache, or loses energy.—
Lyssanoel Frater,
USA Today,
17 Feb. 2026
-
My body turns away before my mind can catch up.—
Valeng Cha,
Twin Cities,
8 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Foliage has a waxy covering that repels pests and discourages disease.—
Barbara Gillette,
The Spruce,
27 Feb. 2026
-
The disguise simultaneously repels birds and other larger predators, who have no interest in eating what appears to be excrement, while luring in the spider’s next dinner.—
Hanna Wickes,
Charlotte Observer,
27 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Charlie, though, is trying to keep them out of a country that thoroughly repulses him.—
Alexander Nazaryan,
New Yorker,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Instead, expect a traceless finish (on all skin tones), hyper fast absorption, and a bouncy base for makeup that resists pilling.—
Sophie Wirt,
InStyle,
11 Mar. 2026
-
In Patagonia’s mountains, Adelaida, the last of a Chilean indigenous people, resists relocation as a mining project threatens her ancestral land.—
John Hopewell,
Variety,
9 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Turns back.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/turns%20back. Accessed 13 Mar. 2026.
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