1
[ verb ] retrace one's course

Examples

"The hikers got into a storm and had to turn back"

Used in print

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

Smiling at his quixotic thoughts , Warren turned_back from the opening and lit a cigarette before sitting_down .

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

Then the nigger boy turned_back and he was alone .

(Arthur Miller, "The Prophecy," in The Best...)

She had begun to turn_back toward the house , but his look caught her and she stood_still , waiting there for what his expression indicated would be a serious word_of_farewell .

(Hampton Stone, The Man Who Looked Death...)

Then he turns_back to you .

Related terms

return

2
[ verb ] go back to a previous state

Examples

"We reverted to the old rules"

Used in print

(Howard Fast, April Morning....)

We ran east for about half a mile before we turned_back to the road , panting from the effort and soaked with sweat .

(Richard Ferber, Bitter Valley....)

Then she turned_back to Wilson and smiled , and he was n't quite sure what she meant by it .

3
[ verb ] force to go away; used both with concrete and metaphoric meanings

Examples

"Drive away potential burglars' "drive away bad thoughts" "dispel doubts" "The supermarket had to turn back many disappointed customers"

Used in print

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

Gen._Maxwell_Taylor 's statement in Saigon that he is `` very_much encouraged '' about the chances of the pro-Western government of Viet_Nam turning_back Communist guerrilla attacks comes_close to an announcement that he will not recommend dispatching United_States troops to bolster the Vietnamese Army .

4
[ verb ] hold back, as of a danger or an enemy; check the expansion or influence of

Examples

"Arrest the downward trend" "Check the growth of communism in SE Asia" "Contain the rebel movement" "Turn back the tide of communism"

Related terms

defend cut_down containment

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