Word.ws English Dictionary

in turn

/ɪn ˈtɜːn/US/ɪn ˈtɜɹn/

in turn prepositional phrase: one after the other; one at a time; in succession; successively.

Prepositional phrase

  1. One after the other; one at a time; in succession; successively.
    • The teacher answered the students each in turn.
    • Each member of the group, in turn, rose to share a personal story, until nearly everyone in the room had spoken.
  2. In due order; in proper sequence; in a determined or measured sequence, as a waiting line or queue.
    • You are next in turn to bat.
    • The boy was next in turn to sit on Santa's lap.
  3. In response; in return.
    • The musical ambassadors finished their performance, and the local musicians in turn played for them a traditional ballad.
    • With great humility, I call upon all Americans to help me keep our nation united in defense of those ideals which have been so eloquently proclaimed by Franklin Roosevelt. I want in turn to assure my fellow Americans and all of those who love peace and liberty throughout the world that I will...1945 April 16, Harry S. Truman, 9:21 from the start, in MP72-20 President Roosevelt’s Funeral and Procession; Truman – New President of U.S., Harry S. Truman Presidential Library and Museum, National...
  4. Having a relationship sequentially comparable to one just mentioned; accordingly or similarly, with respect to sequence, precedence, or hierarchy.
    • The vassals were subject to their lords, who in turn were subject to barons or kings.
    • My car was hit by a truck, which in turn was hit by the van.

in turn meaning in Tamil, Kannada and Arabic

in turn in Tamil

முறைப்படி வரும்போது

in turn in Kannada

ಒಂದಾದ ಮೇಲೊಂದು

in turn in Arabic

having a relationship sequentially comparable to one just mentioned
بدوره

Examples of in turn in a sentence

  • Eventually, each of the countries in turn would be brought to submission by the invading force.
  • Mr. X leaked the secret to Mr. Y who in turn leaked it to Mr. Z.
  • I want in turn to assure my fellow Americans and all of those who love peace and liberty throughout the world that I will support and defend those ideals with all my strength and all my heart.1945 April 16, Harry S. Truman, 9:21 from the start, in MP72-20 President Roosevelt’s Funeral and Procession; Truman – New President of...
  • As was the case with the "Merchant Navy" locomotives, some of these features have proved troublesome, and this in turn at times has reflected on performance as well as on maintenance.1957 October, “Modification of "West Country" Class Pacific”, in Railway Magazine, page 727:
  • The initiated member gave a gift of a coin for the goddess, for which he received in turn a phallus and some salt.1961, Harry E. Wedeck, Dictionary of Aphrodisiacs, New York: The Citadel Press, page 85:

Synonyms of in turn

Questions about in turn

What does in turn mean?
In turn means one after the other; one at a time; in succession; successively.
What is in turn in Tamil?
In turn in Tamil is முறைப்படி வரும்போது. See In turn meaning in Tamil.
How do you use in turn in a sentence?
Eventually, each of the countries in turn would be brought to submission by the invading force.
What part of speech is in turn?
In turn is a prepositional phrase.
How do you pronounce in turn?
In turn is pronounced /ɪn ˈtɜːn/ (UK).

Words near in turn in the dictionary

  1. in triplicate
  2. in trouble
  3. in true
  4. in truth
  5. in tune
  6. in turn
  7. in twain
  8. in two
  9. in two jumps
  10. in two minds
  11. in two shakes

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: in turn (page history and authors); in turn (Tamil Wiktionary) (page history and authors); in turn (Kannada Wiktionary) (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

Last updated:

Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-in turn.wav.

Cite this entry: “in turn.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/in_turn. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.