turns (on) 1 of 2

verb (1)

present tense third-person singular of turn (on)
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

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

turns on

2 of 2

verb (2)

present tense third-person singular of turn on
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?

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 (on)
Verb
When spring comes, the homeowner turns on the AC and nothing happens. — Rae Ford, Martha Stewart, 8 Nov. 2026 Susan Saint James, the Emmy-winning actress who delighted TV viewers with her light-hearted turns on The Name of the Game, McMillan & Wife and Kate & Allie before quitting at the peak of her powers, has died. — Mike Barnes, HollywoodReporter, 27 Oct. 2026 From the starting point of children abandoned in a train station, the story – inspired by true events – turns on the past and present of a family. — Annika Pham, Variety, 26 Oct. 2026 After taking their turns on the platform, participants pushed their way back into corners or craned their necks from the Kravis Studio’s doorway. — Nolan Kelly, Artforum, 26 Oct. 2026 This is the point where the creativity gospel turns on the people who preach it the most. — Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 20 Oct. 2026 Fashion turns on inflection points, and this was one of the most important. — Robb Report, 9 Oct. 2026 Continue reading … FRIENDLY FIRE — GOP base turns on Republican Gov Sarah Huckabee-Sanders' reelection ad. — FOXNews.com, 29 Sep. 2026 The 24-year-old played more than ever last season but still managed a modest 24 goals and 49 points despite getting regular turns on the power play and penalty kill. — Max Bultman, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for turns (on)
  1. attacks
  2. thrills
  3. triggers
  4. assaults
  5. excites
  6. activates
  7. raids
  8. electrifies
Verb
  • At the same time, in the real world, Lisa wakes up and attacks Thomas and Paladin, using her new, uh, nanobot powers?
    — Tasha Robinson, Vulture, 4 Nov. 2026
  • Psoriatic arthritis is a chronic (long-term) autoimmune condition in which your immune system attacks healthy tissues, causing joint pain, swelling, and stiffness.
    — Health Editorial Team, HEALTH, 3 Nov. 2026
Definition of attacks
Verb
  • Railing against a new crop of progressive candidates has emerged as a more animating focus for a president who thrills to a fight.
    — Francesca Chambers, USA Today, 5 July 2026
  • Her strict economy, honed by her early years of writing and endlessly revising (under the exacting eye of Allene Talmey) tight captions for Vogue, thrills the editor in me.
    — Zinzi Clemmons, Los Angeles Times, 8 June 2026
Definition of thrills
Verb
  • The intense heat triggers a rapid reaction in which carbon bonds with silica to form silicon carbide, a ultra-hard, heat-tolerant compound.
    — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 6 Nov. 2026
  • That single request triggers decisions about which data to pull, which accounts qualify, whether sensitive information should leave the organization and whether sending the email is even permitted.
    — Kumar Chivukula, Forbes.com, 6 Nov. 2026
Definition of triggers
Verb
  • Chris Brown physically assaults then-girlfriend Rihanna Brown and then-girlfriend Rihanna had an argument that escalated into physical violence on the part of Brown.
    — Alex Heigl, PEOPLE, 26 Oct. 2026
  • Anyone who assaults law enforcement will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
    — Christina Fan, CBS News, 7 June 2026
Definition of assaults
Verb
  • Ask what excites or concerns people and what leadership may be overlooking.
    — Irene Thong, Forbes.com, 5 Nov. 2026
  • One of the things that excites me about casting Batman is being able to pick a Batman who’s actually the best actor for that role.
    — Jordan Moreau, Variety, 29 Oct. 2026
Definition of excites
Verb
  • The accumulating damage persistently activates the innate immune system—the body’s first line of defense—leading to what is known as inflammaging, functional decline and chronic diseases of old age.
    — Kristel Tjandra, Hartford Courant, 30 Oct. 2026
  • For controls, the left earcup has a power button, while the right earcup has a noise-control button that activates your voice assistant when held down.
    — Christian de Looper, PC Magazine, 29 Oct. 2026
Definition of activates
Verb
  • In the character's final scene, as the DEA raids her rural compound, Laurie ties a rope around her neck and jumps from the roof of her home.
    — Joey Nolfi, Entertainment Weekly, 1 June 2026
  • In the meantime, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) finally raids Laurie's property, thanks to the intel Rue had been giving them.
    — Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 1 June 2026
Definition of raids
Verb
  • Standing amid the ruins of the villa and grotto, you might be overwhelmed by the ancient mythology that electrifies the air here.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 4 Aug. 2026
  • What starts as one state utility trying to see its own network more clearly could end up as part of the blueprint for how the developing world electrifies its future.
    — Ken Silverstein, Forbes.com, 10 May 2026
Definition of electrifies

Browse Nearby Words

turns off
turns (on)
turns on
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Turns (on).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/turns%20%28on%29. Accessed 11 Nov. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of valorous

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

31 Useful Rhetorical Devices

More Commonly Misspelled Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Longest Long Words List

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
woman sitting on floor holding book in front of her face on pink background
Famous Novels, Last Lines Quiz Needless to say, spoiler alert.
See All