Word.ws English Dictionary

turn

UK/tɜːn/

More pronunciations (1)Fewer pronunciations

Northumbria/tɔːn/

turn verb: to move about an axis through itself.

turn: to move about an axis through itself
Image: David J. Fred, CC BY-SA 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons

Verb

turn (third-person singular simple present turns, present participle turning, simple past and past participle turned or (obsolete) turnt)

  1. (intransitive, person, etc) To move about an axis through itself.
    • the Earth turns
    • turn on the spot
    Synonyms:
    rotate, spin, twirl
  2. (transitive) To change the direction or orientation of, especially by rotation.
    • Turn the knob clockwise.
    • It was not far from the house; but the ground sank into a depression there, and the ridge of it behind shut out everything except just the roof of the tallest hayrick. As one sat on the sward behind the elm, with the back turned on the rick and nothing in front but the tall elms and the oaks in the...1879, R[ichard] J[efferies], “The First Gun”, in The Amateur Poacher, London: Smith, Elder, & Co., […], →OCLC, pages 9–10
    Synonyms:
    rotate
  3. (intransitive) To change one's direction of travel.
    • She turned right at the corner.
    • I had occasion […] to make a somewhat long business trip to Chicago, and on my return […] I found Farrar awaiting me in the railroad station. He smiled his wonted fraction by way of greeting, […], and finally leading me to his buggy, turned and drove out of town.1897 December (indicated as 1898), Winston Churchill, chapter II, in The Celebrity: An Episode, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company; London: Macmillan & Co., Ltd., →OCLC, page 12
    Synonyms:
    steer, swerve, tack
  4. (transitive) To shape (something) symmetrically by rotating it against a stationary cutting tool, as on a lathe.
    • She turned the table legs with care and precision.
  5. (broadly) To give form to; to shape or mould; to adapt.
    • […]the Poets pen turnes them to ſhapes,[…]c. 1595–1596 (date written), William Shakespeare, “A Midsommer Nights Dreame”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies: Published According to the True Originall Copies (First...
    • […]he was perfectly well turned for the occupations of trade and commerce.1711 July 14 (Gregorian calendar), [Joseph Addison], “TUESDAY, July 4, 1711”, in The Spectator, number 108; republished in Alexander Chalmers, editor, The Spectator; a New Edition, […], volume II...
  6. (transitive) To direct or impel (something) into or out of a place.
    • Add sugar and butter, then turn the mixture into a dish.
    • The farmer turned the cows into a field.
  7. (transitive) To position (something) by folding it, or using its folds.
    • turn the bed covers; turn the pages
  8. (figuratively, transitive) To navigate through a book or other printed material.
    • turn to page twenty; turn through the book
  9. (transitive) To twist or sprain.
    • I fell off my bike and turned my ankle severely.
  10. (transitive) Of a bowler, to make (the ball) move sideways off the pitch when it bounces.
  11. (intransitive) Of a ball, to move sideways off the pitch when it bounces.
  12. (copulative, intransitive, transitive) To become (often used with colors, clear sudden changes, weather and ages).
    • Near-synonyms: become, get, go, come, fall, grow, wax
    • The leaves turn brown in autumn.
    Synonyms:
    become, get, go, come, fall, grow, wax
Show 23 more meaningsShow fewer meanings
  1. (intransitive, transitive) To change the color of the leaves in the autumn.
    • The hillside behind our house isn't generally much to look at, but once all the trees turn it's gorgeous.
  2. (intransitive, transitive) To change fundamentally; to metamorphose.
    • Midas made everything turn to gold. He turned into a monster every full moon.
    • At her invitation he outlined for her the succeeding chapters with terse military accuracy; and what she liked best and best understood was avoidance of that false modesty which condescends, turning technicality into pabulum.1907 August, Robert W[illiam] Chambers, “Silverside”, in The Younger Set, New York, N.Y.: D. Appleton & Company, →OCLC, page 300
  3. (intransitive, transitive) To sour or spoil; to go bad.
    • This milk has turned; it smells awful.
    Synonyms:
    go bad, go off, sour, spoil
  4. (intransitive, transitive) To make acid or sour; to ferment; to curdle.
    • to turn cider or wine
  5. (intransitive, transitive) To change (a person) into a vampire, werewolf, zombie, etc.
    • How long ago was he turned?
    • His companions had turned him on purpose. Annie, bless her heart, was immune.2017, Michael J. Totten, Into the Wasteland: A Zombie Novel
  6. (intransitive, transitive) To transform into a vampire, werewolf, zombie, etc.
    • Bruce Banner turns when he is angry: he becomes the Hulk, an incredibly powerful green monster.
  7. (intransitive, offensive, slang, sometimes, transitive) To change the sexual orientation or gender of another person, or otherwise awaken a sexual preference.
    • We may not be made gay or lesbian in the sense of being “turned” by some error in parenting or child rearing, but we are certainly biologically made and raised (most of us) by straights.2009 September 10, W. C. Harris, Queer Externalities: Hazardous Encounters in American Culture, State University of New York Press, →ISBN, page 154
    • An old homophobic fantasy has it that a gay man or lesbian can be “turned” by a fulfilling sexual encounter with someone of the opposite sex2023 May 15, Eliot Borenstein, Marvel Comics in the 1970s: The World Inside Your Head, Cornell University Press, →ISBN, page 244
  8. (intransitive, transitive) To hinge; to depend.
    • The decision turns on a single fact.
    • […] Conditions of Peace certainly do turn upon Events of War.1711 December 8 (Gregorian calendar), [Jonathan Swift], “The Eighth Article of the Grand Alliance”, in The Conduct of the Allies, and of the Late Ministry, in Beginning and Carrying on the Present...
  9. (intransitive, transitive) To rebel; to go against something formerly tolerated.
    • The prisoners turned on the warden.
    • ‘You little Fool!’ returned her sister, shaking her with the sharp pull she gave her arm. ‘Have you no spirit at all? But that’s just the way! You have no self-respect, you have no becoming pride, just as you allow yourself to be followed about by a contemptible little Chivery of a thing,’ with the...1855 December – 1857 June, Charles Dickens, Little Dorrit, London: Bradbury and Evans, […], published 1857, →OCLC
    Synonyms:
    rebel, revolt
  10. (intransitive, transitive) To change personalities, such as from being a face (good guy) to heel (bad guy) or vice versa.
  11. (ambitransitive, intransitive, transitive) To make or become giddy; said of the head or brain.
    • Ile looke no more, / Leaſt my braine turne,[…]c. 1603–1606, William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of King Lear”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount...
  12. (intransitive, transitive) To sicken; to nauseate.
    • The sight turned my stomach.
  13. (intransitive, transitive) To be nauseated; said of the stomach.
  14. (reflexive) To change one's course of action; to take a new approach.
    • And they made a calfe in thoſe dayes / and offered ſacrifice vnto the ymage / and reioyſed in the workes of theyr awne hondes. / Then God turned hym ſilfe / and gave them vp /[…]1526, [William Tyndale, transl.], The Newe Testamẽt […] (Tyndale Bible), [Worms, Germany: Peter Schöffer], →OCLC, Acts vij:[41–42], folio clxiij, verso
    • Turne from thy fierce wrath,[…]1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Exodus 32:12, columns 1–2
  15. (transitive, usually) To complete.
    • They say they can turn the parts in two days.
  16. (transitive) To make (money); turn a profit.
    • We turned a pretty penny with that little scheme.
  17. (transitive) Of a player, to go past an opposition player with the ball in one's control.
    • Liverpool introduced Carroll for Spearing and were rewarded after 64 minutes when he put them back in contention. Stewart Downing blocked Jose Bosingwa's attempted clearance, which fell into the path of Carroll. He turned John Terry superbly before firing high past Cech.2012 May 5, Phil McNulty, “Chelsea 2-1 Liverpool”, in BBC Sport
  18. To undergo the process of turning on a lathe.
    • Ivory turns well.
  19. To bring down the feet of a child in the womb, in order to facilitate delivery.
  20. (dated) To invert a type of the same thickness, as a temporary substitute for any sort which is exhausted.
  21. (archaic) To translate.
    • to turn the Iliad
    • who turns a Persian tale for half a crown1735, Alexander Pope, The Prologue to the Satires
  22. (transitive, roleplaying games) To magically or divinely repel undead.
  23. To carve vegetables into uniform barrel-like or American football-like shapes.
    • The hardest part of culinary school was learning to turn vegetables perfectly.

Noun

turn (plural turns)

  1. A change of direction or orientation.
    • Give the handle a turn, then pull it.
    • With just the turn of a shoulder she indicated the water front, where[…]lay the good ship, Mount Vernon, river packet, the black smoke already pouring from her stacks. In turn he smiled and also shrugged a shoulder.1910, Emerson Hough, “A Lady in Company”, in The Purchase Price: Or The Cause of Compromise, Indianapolis, Ind.: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, →OCLC
  2. A movement of an object about its own axis in one direction that continues until the object returns to its initial orientation.
    1. A unit of plane angle measurement based on this movement.
  3. A walk to and fro.
    • Let's take a turn in the garden.
    • "I've made a turn round the place, sir, and the light was on," was the reply.1923, Ernest Bramah [pseudonym; Ernest Brammah Smith], “(please specify the page)”, in The Eyes of Max Carrados, London: Grant Richards, →OCLC
    Synonyms:
    promenade
  4. A chance to use something shared in sequence with others.
    • They took turns playing with the new toy.
    • With just the turn of a shoulder she indicated the water front, where[…]lay the good ship, Mount Vernon, river packet, the black smoke already pouring from her stacks. In turn he smiled and also shrugged a shoulder.1910, Emerson Hough, “A Lady in Company”, in The Purchase Price: Or The Cause of Compromise, Indianapolis, Ind.: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, →OCLC
    Synonyms:
    go
  5. A spell of work, especially the time allotted to a person in a rota or schedule.
    • I cooked tonight, so it's your turn to do the dishes.
  6. One's chance to make a move in a game having two or more players.
    Synonyms:
    go, move
  7. A figure in music, often denoted ~, consisting of the note above the one indicated, the note itself, the note below the one indicated, and the note itself again.
  8. The time required to complete a project.
    • They quote a three-day turn on parts like those.
    Synonyms:
    turnaround
  9. The transition from one period or era, or hour on the clock, to another.
    • turn of the century
    • […] by cajolery and innuendo she had persuaded him to go to the picture palace to be cheered up, and as it was now on the turn of eleven he might be expected back at any moment.1923, Ernest Bramah [pseudonym; Ernest Brammah Smith], “(please specify the page)”, in The Eyes of Max Carrados, London: Grant Richards, →OCLC
  10. A fit or a period of giddiness.
    • I've had a funny turn.
    • I'm sure I never shall forget the turn young Simmons gave me when he came in with that paper as he'd been and copied out of a winder thro' being in a west-end house, […]1865 September 23, “Mrs. Brown and the Emperor of the French”, in Fun, London: Published (for the proprietors) by Thomas Baker, →OCLC, page 17
    Synonyms:
    dizziness, dizzy spell, giddiness
  11. A change in temperament or circumstance.
    • She took a turn for the worse.
    Synonyms:
    change, swing
  12. A sideways movement of the ball when it bounces (caused by rotation in flight).
Show 10 more meaningsShow fewer meanings
  1. The fourth communal card in Texas hold 'em.
  2. (obsolete) The flop (the first three community cards) in Texas hold 'em.
  3. A deed done to another; an act of kindness or malice.
    • One good turn deserves another.
    • I felt that the man was of a vindictive nature, and would do me an evil turn if he found the opportunity[…].
  4. A single loop of a coil.
    Synonyms:
    loop
  5. (rope) A pass behind or through an object.
  6. Character; personality; nature.
    • It was fortunate for his comfort, perhaps, that the man who had been chosen to accompany him was of a talkative turn, for the prisoners insisted upon hearing the story of the explosion a dozen times over, and Rufus Dawes himself had been roused to give the name of the vessel with his own lips.1875, Marcus Clarke, “Typhus Fever”, in His Natural Life [For the Term of His Natural Life], volume I, London: Richard Bentley and Son, →OCLC, page 100
  7. An instance of going past an opposition player with the ball in one's control.
  8. (especially, physical) A short skit, act, or routine.
    • Between the pieces were individual turns, comic songs and dances.1960, Theatre Notebook, volumes 14-16, page 122
  9. (dated) A type turned upside down to serve for another character that is not available.
  10. (UK, historical) The profit made by a stockjobber, being the difference between the buying and selling prices.
    • There are usually at least two jobbers who specialise in the leading stocks, and this acts to keep the jobber's turn to a reasonable amount […]1977, Michael Arthur Firth, Valuation of Shares and the Efficient-markets Theory, page 11

turn meaning in Hindi, Tamil, Marathi and Urdu

turn in Hindi

intransitive: move around an axis through itself
मुड़ना muṛnā
transitive: change the direction or orientation of, especially by rotation
मोड़ना moṛnā
intransitive: change one's direction of travel
मुड़ना muṛnā
change of direction or orientation
मोड़ moṛ

turn in Tamil

intransitive: move around an axis through itself
திரும்பு tirumpu, திரி tiri, திருப்பு tiruppu
transitive: change the direction or orientation of, especially by rotation
திரி tiri, திருப்பு tiruppu, திரும்பு tirumpu
intransitive: change one's direction of travel
திரும்பு tirumpu, திருப்பு tiruppu, திரி tiri

turn in Marathi

turn, curve
वळण vaḷaṇ
to turn, bend
वळणे vaḷṇe
turn, chance
पाळी pāḷī
to turn, spin
फिरवणे phiravṇe

turn in Urdu

change of direction or orientation
موڑ moṛ
chance to use (something) shared in sequence with others
نَوبَت naubat, باری bārī
More languagesFewer languages
turn in Bengali
ঘোরা ghōra, ফেরা phera, চাল cal, মোড় mōṛ
turn in Telugu
తిరుగు tirugu, తిప్పు tippu, తిరగబడు tiragabaḍu, వంతు vantu
turn in Malayalam
തിരിയ്ക്കുക tiriykkuka, തിരിയുക tiriyuka, മറിയ്ക്കുക maṟiykkuka
turn in Kannada
ಮರಳು maraḷu
turn in Punjabi
ਫਿਰਨਾ phirnā, پھرنا phirnā, ਮੁੜਣਾ muṛṇā, ਪਰਤਣਾ partaṇā
turn in Gujarati
વારો vāro
turn in Odia
ଓଲଟେଇବା olaṭeibā
turn in Sanskrit
वर्तते vártate, ह्वरते hvárate, अववृणक्ति avavṛṇakti, म्रेड् mreḍ
turn in Assamese
পাল pal
turn in Nepali
मोड्नु moḍnu
turn in Pashto
تاوول tāwawəl, اړول arrawəl
turn in Tagalog
umikot
turn in Arabic
دَارَ dāra, أَدَارَ ʔadāra, لوى lawa, دَوْر dawr
turn in Malay
pusing, putar, belok, pusingkan
turn in Indonesian
berbelok, giliran, berpaling, belok
turn in Persian
گشتن gaštan, چرخیدن čarxidan
turn in Thai
หมุน mǔn, เปลี่ยน bplìian, ตา dtaa, เลี้ยว líao
turn in Vietnamese
rẽ, quẹo, lượt, phiên
turn in Myanmar
လှည့် လှည့် hlany., ချိုး hkyui:

Examples of turn in a sentence

  • When I asked him for the money, he turned nasty.
  • Charlie turns six on September 29.
  • "A fine man, that Dunwody, yonder," commented the young captain, as they parted, and as he turned to his prisoner.1910, Emerson Hough, chapter I, in The Purchase Price: Or The Cause of Compromise, Indianapolis, Ind.: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, →OCLC:
  • We didn't start the fire / It was always burning / Since the world's been turning1989 September 18, Billy Joel, “We Didn't Start the Fire”, in Storm Front:
  • It twisted and turned, and, the first thing I knew, made a sudden bend around a bunch of bayberry scrub and opened out into a big clear space like a lawn.1913, Joseph C[rosby] Lincoln, chapter I, in Mr. Pratt’s Patients, New York, N.Y.; London: D[aniel] Appleton and Company, →OCLC:
  • His limbs how turn’d! how broad his ſhoulders ſpread!1725, Homer, “Book VIII”, in [William Broome], transl., The Odyssey of Homer. […], volume II, London: […] Bernard Lintot, →OCLC, page 145...

All 40 example sentences with turn

Synonyms of turn

25 more synonymsFewer synonyms

All synonyms of turn

Forms of turn

Verb
third-person singular presentturns
present participleturning
past participleturned
pastturned
past participle (obsolete)turnt
past (obsolete)turnt
second-person singular present (archaic)turnest
second-person singular past (archaic)turnedst
third-person singular present (archaic)turneth
past participle (archaic)turnt
Noun
pluralturns

Past tense of turn: turned

Plural of turn: turns

Origin of turn

From Middle English turnen, from Old English turnian, tyrnan (“to turn, rotate, revolve”), from Proto-West Germanic *turnēn (“to turn, lathe”) (also the source of German turnen and its derivatives) and Old French torner (“to turn”), both from Latin tornāre (“to round off, turn in a lathe”), from tornus (“lathe”), from Ancient Greek τόρνος (tórnos, “turning-lathe: a tool used for making circles”), from Proto-Indo-European *terh₁- (“to rub, rub by turning, turn, twist, bore”). Cognate with Old English þrāwan (“to turn, twist, wind”), whence English throw. Displaced native Middle English wenden from Old English wendan (see wend), and Middle English trenden from Old English trendan (see trend), among several other terms.

Partly from Anglo-Norman *torn, from Latin tornus, from Ancient Greek τόρνος (tórnos), and partly an action noun from the verb turn.

Words formed from turn

Phrases with turn

156 more phrasesFewer phrases

Words that rhyme with turn

28 more rhymesFewer rhymes

Questions about turn

What does turn mean?
Turn means to move about an axis through itself.
What is turn in Hindi?
Turn in Hindi is मुड़ना (muṛnā), पल (pal), बारी (bārī). See Turn meaning in Hindi.
How do you use turn in a sentence?
When I asked him for the money, he turned nasty.
What part of speech is turn?
Turn can be a verb or a noun.
How do you pronounce turn?
Turn is pronounced /tɜːn/ (UK).
What is the past tense of turn?
The past tense of turn is turned.

Words near turn in the dictionary

  1. turmoiling
  2. turmoils
  3. turms
  4. turmut
  5. turmuts
  6. turn
  7. turn 19 in Poland
  8. turn a blind eye
  9. turn a corner
  10. turn a deaf ear
  11. turn a hair

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: turn (page history and authors); पालट (Marathi) (page history and authors); ঘোরা (Bengali) (page history and authors); ಮರಳು (Kannada) (page history and authors); واری (Punjabi) (page history and authors); ଓଲଟେଇବା (Odia) (page history and authors); अववृणक्ति (Sanskrit) (page history and authors); मोड्नु (Nepali) (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)-Naomi Persephone Amethyst (NaomiAmethyst)-turn.wav, En-au-turn.ogg.

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