turn has definitions from the fields of transportation,theater,performing arts,sport,work,color,agriculture
1
[ verb ] change orientation or direction, also in the abstract sense

Examples

"Turn towards me" "The mugger turned and fled before I could see his face" "She turned from herself and learned to listen to others' needs"

Used in print

(James Boylan, "Mutinity"...)

This time he turned westward , to the middle_Atlantic coast of North_America .

In 1602 , George_Waymouth , in the same little Discovery that Hudson now commanded , had sailed 300 miles up the strait before his frightened men turned the ship back .

For the first three weeks , the ship skirted up the east coast of Great_Britain , then turned westward .

As the bergs grew larger , Hudson was forced to turn south into what is now Ungava_Bay , an inlet of the great strait .

After finding that its coasts led nowhere , however , he turned north again , toward the main , ice filled passageway - and the crew , at_first uneasy , then frightened , rebelled .

2
[ verb ] undergo a change or development

Examples

: "The water turned into ice" "Her former friend became her worst enemy" "He turned traitor"

Used in print

(The Washington Post...)

Henry_Hall_Wilson , a student at the music camp 25 years ago and now on the President 's staff as liaison representative with the House_of_Representatives , turned guest conductor for a Sousa march , the `` Stars_and_Stripes Forever '' .

(The Wall Street Journal,...)

We can all breathe more easily this morning - more easily and joyously , too - because Joshua_Logan has turned the stage show , `` Fanny '' , into a delightful and heart-warming film .

(A. A. Fair, Bachelors Get Lonely....)

If it ever got behind me , the beep turned to a buzz .

His signal was coming loud and clear and_then all_of_a_sudden it turned to a buzz .

(Anne McCaffrey, "The Ship Who Sang," 7th...)

One such group got all incensed over shelled `` children '' when Helva was just turning fourteen .

3
[ verb ] undergo a transformation or a change of position or action

Synonyms

change_state

Examples

"We turned from Socialism to Capitalism" "The people turned against the President when he stole the election"

Used in print

(The Dallas Morning News,...)

A good feeling prevailed on the SMU coaching staff Monday , but attention quickly turned from Saturday 's victory to next week 's problem : Rice_University .

(Christopher Davis, First Family....)

Scotty murmured , `` No , thanks '' , so softly his father had_to bend his gaunt height across the table and turn a round brown ear to him .

They turned at the bottom of Kate 's steps and moved off in the direction of the park .

He turned unsmilingly to Rachel .

(David Stacton, The Judges of the Secret Court....)

`` Well , I guess I know enough to turn you inside_out , you sockdologizing old mantrap '' ! said Trenchard , otherwise Hawk .

4
[ verb ] cause to move around or rotate

Examples

"turn a key" "turn your palm this way"

Used in print

(E. Lucas Myers, "The Vindication of Dr. Nestor,"...)

The doctor shot_down to the lavatory and turned the doorknob , but to no effect : the lavatory was occupied .

5
[ verb ] pass into a condition gradually, take on a specific property or attribute; become

Synonyms

grow

Examples

"The weather turned nasty" "She grew angry" "The teacher became impatient"

Used in print

(T. C. McClary, "The Flooded Desert," Argosy,...)

Their world turned black .

Related terms

change bald change_state

6
[ verb ] to send or let go

Examples

"They turned away the crowd at the gate of the governor's mansion"

Used in print

(St. Louis Post-Dispatch,...)

The statistics hardly indicated that the Pirates needed extra batting practice , but Murtaugh also turned his men loose at Busch_Stadium yesterday .

Related terms

send

7
[ verb ] pass to the other side of

Synonyms

move_around

Examples

"turn the corner" "move around the obstacle"

Used in print

(Helen Hooven Santmyer, "There Were Fences"...)

When the hay wagon had gone , and an interval passed , a huckster 's cart might turn the corner .

Related terms

travel turning

8
[ verb ] move around an axis or a center

Examples

"The wheels are turning"

Used in print

(Harold Rosenberg, "The Trial and Eichmann"...)

Since the magnitude of the plan made secrecy impossible , once the wheels had began to turn , persons controlling German industries , social institutions , and armed_forces became , through their anti-Semitism or their tolerance of_it , conscious accomplices of Hitler 's crimes ; whether in the last degree or a lesser one was a matter to be determined individually .

Related terms

move revolve

9
[ verb ] cause to move around a center so as to show another side of

Synonyms

turn_over

Examples

"turn a page of a book"

Used in print

(Breni James, Nights of the Kill....)

It was nine o_'_clock in the morning : the hour which , like a spade turning clods of earth , exposed to the day a myriad of busy creatures that had lain_dormant in the quiet night .

Related terms

move leaf leaf evert turner

10
[ verb ] (color) change color, as of leaves in the Fall

Examples

"In Vermont, the leaves turn early"

Used in print

(Stephen Longstreet, Eagles Where I Walk....)

He looked_out through windowpanes turned a faint violet by sun and weather , looked_out at King_'s_Bridge toward Westchester .

Related terms

discolor

11
[ verb ] change to the contrary

Examples

"The trend was reversed" "the tides turned against him" "public opinion turned when it was revealed that the president had an affair with a White House intern"

Used in print

(Robert A. Futterman, The Future of Our Cities....)

Only a radical change in the nature of the population in the central_city would be likely to destroy this preference - and we must now turn our attention to the question of whether such a change , gloomily foreseen by so many urban diagnosticians , is actually upon us .

(Christopher Davis, First Family....)

He thought_about it briefly , then deliberately turned the talk to something else .

(Tristram Coffin, Not to the Swift....)

He had dared to defy nature , to turn his back to the Lorelei , and he was punished .

12
[ verb ] (agriculture) to break and turn over earth esp. with a plow

Synonyms

plow plough

Examples

"Farmer Jones plowed his east field last week" "turn the earth in the Spring"

13
[ verb ] cause to change or turn into something different;assume new characteristics

Examples

"The princess turned the frog into a prince by kissing him" "The alchemists tried to turn lead into gold"

Related terms

change become

14
[ noun ] a circular segment of a curve

Synonyms

crook bend

Examples

: "a bend in the road" "a crook in the path"

Used in print

(The Sun, [Baltimore],...)

Then Kerr , a graduate_student from Illinois , moved past him on a straightaway and held_off Mills 's challenge on the final turn .

(Jaroslav Pelikan, The Shape of Death: life, death and...)

The first turn of the spiral is the primeval history of humanity in Adam .

(Guy Bolton, The Olympians....)

They passed close by the turn to Bishopsgate .

(S. J. Perelman, The Rising Gorge. New York:...)

A_couple_of years back , I occupied a Village apartment whose outer staircase contained the type of niche called a `` coffin turn '' .

Related terms

curve bight crook

15
[ noun ] the act of changing or reversing the direction of the course

Synonyms

turning

Examples

"he took a turn to the right"

Used in print

(Donald J. Plantz, Sweeney Squadron....)

It gave them all a chance to make a high-speed climbing turn attack and a break-away that would not take them into the overcast or force a tight turn recovery .

It gave them all a chance to make a high-speed climbing turn attack and a break-away that would not take them into the overcast or force a tight turn recovery .

If the turn was too tight , a barrel_roll would bring them out .

He tightened his turn .

Greg tightened his turn until the plane shuddered .

16
[ verb ] let (something) fall or spill a container

Synonyms

release

Examples

"turn the flour onto a plate"

Related terms

transmit throw deflate

17
[ verb ] let (something) fall or spill a container

Synonyms

release

Examples

"turn the flour onto a plate"

Used in print

(Joseph Chadwick, No Land Is Free....)

The rest of the crew offsaddled their mounts and turned them into the remuda .

Related terms

transmit deflate throw spill

18
[ noun ] the activity of doing something in an agreed succession

Synonyms

play

Examples

"it is my turn" "it is still my play"

Used in print

(Rocky Mountains News, [Denver, Colorado],...)

Ed_Donnelly is still bothered by a side injury and will miss his starting turn .

(Richard Ferber, Bitter Valley....)

He took the reins just below the bit and held them firmly , and it was his turn to smile now .

19
[ verb ] twist suddenly so as to sprain

Examples

"wrench one's ankle" "The wrestler twisted his shoulder" "the hikers sprained their ankles when they fell" "I turned my ankle and couldn't walk for several days"

Used in print

(David Alexander, Bloodstain....)

He had turned his ankle slightly , and it pained him .

Related terms

injure crick sprain wrench

20
[ verb ] make (someone) agree, understand, or realize the truth or validity of something

Examples

"He had finally convinced several customers of the advantages of his product"

21
[ verb ] shape by rotating on a lathe or cutting device or a wheel

Examples

"turn the legs of the table" "turn the clay on the wheel"

Used in print

(Clayton C. Barbeau, The Ikon....)

The crude wooden boxes of the enemy , our nicely turned gray metal disks .

Related terms

form turnery

22
[ noun ] an unforeseen development

Examples

"events suddenly took an awkward turn"

Used in print

(The Christian Science Monitor,...)

And in the new `` King_of_Kings '' the plot involves intrigues and twists and turns that cannot be traced to the Gospels .

(Guy Endore, Voltaire! Voltaire!...)

But now what crazy twists and turns of his emotions !

Related terms

development

23
[ verb ] go sour or spoil

Synonyms

sour work ferment

Examples

"The milk has soured" "The wine worked" "The cream has turned--we have to throw it out"

24
[ noun ] turning or twisting around (in place)

Synonyms

twist

Examples

"with a quick twist of his head he surveyed the room"

Used in print

(Bell I. Wiley, "Home Letters of Johnny Reb and Billy...)

Scarcity of paper caused many Southerners to adopt the practice of cross writing , i._e. , after writing from left to right of the page in the usual manner , they gave the sheet a half turn and wrote from end to end across the lines previously written .

Related terms

motion rotation twiddle

25
[ noun ] a movement in a new direction

Synonyms

turning

Examples

"the turning of the wind"

Used in print

(Irving Stone, The Agony and the Ecstasy....)

No fold could be accidental , each turn of the drapery had to serve organically , to cover the Madonna 's slender legs and feet so that they would give substantive support to Christ 's body , to intensify her inner turmoil .

26
[ noun ] turning away or in the opposite direction

Examples

: "he made an abrupt turn away from her"

Used in print

(Donald J. Plantz, Sweeney Squadron....)

The valley was only a_few hundred yards wide with just_about room enough for a properly performed hundred-and-eighty degree turn .

Related terms

change_of_direction

27
[ verb ] channel one's attention, interest, thought, or attention toward or away from something

Examples

"The pedophile turned to boys for satisfaction" "people turn to mysticism at the turn of a millenium"

Related terms

send take_up

28
[ verb ] cause to move along an axis or into a new direction

Examples

"turn your face to the wall" "turn the car around" "turn your dance partner around"

Related terms

move

29
[ verb ] accomplish by rotating

Examples

"turn a somersault" "turn cartwheels"

Related terms

do turner

30
[ verb ] have recourse to or make an appeal or request for help or information to

Examples

"She called on her Representative to help her" "She turned to her relatives for help"

Related terms

appeal

31
[ verb ] get by buying and selling

Examples

"the company turned a good profit after a year"

Related terms

get commerce

32
[ verb ] alter the functioning or setting of

Examples

"turn the dial to 10" "turn the heat down"

Related terms

operate

33
[ verb ] cause (a plastic object) to assume a crooked or angular form

Synonyms

bend twist flex deform

Examples

"bend the rod" "twist the dough into a braid" "the strong man could turn an iron bar"

34
[ noun ] (in sports) a period of play during which one team is on the offensive

Synonyms

bout round

Related terms

playing_period top bottom sport

35
[ noun ] (work) a time for working (after which you will be relieved by someone else)

Synonyms

spell tour go

Examples

"it's my go" "a spell of work"

Related terms

shift move

36
[ verb ] direct at someone

Examples

"She turned a smile on me" "They turned their flashlights on the car"

Related terms

aim

37
[ verb ] become officially one year older

Examples

"She is turning 50 this year"

Related terms

age

38
[ noun ] (theater,performing arts) a short theatrical performance that is part of a longer program

Synonyms

number act routine bit

Examples

"he did his act three times every evening" "she had a catchy little routine" "it was one of the best numbers he ever did"

Related terms

performance show-stopper act

39
[ noun ] a favor for someone

Synonyms

good_turn

Examples

"he did me a good turn"

Related terms

favor

40
[ noun ] (transportation) taking a short walk out and back

Examples

"we took a turn in the park"

Related terms

walk

*