turn on

Verb

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

1. (transitive) To set a flow of fluid or gas running by rotating a tap or valve.
   • Turn on the tap/faucet.

   Antonyms:

   turn off

2. (transitive) To power up, to put into operation, to start, to activate (an appliance, light, mechanism, functionality etc.).
   • Please turn the lights on so I can see what I'm reading.
   • Please turn on automatic updates.
3. (intransitive) To start operating; to power up, to become on.
   • My computer won't turn on.

   Synonyms:

   turn against

4. (transitive) To introduce (someone to something), and especially to fill them with enthusiasm (about it); to intoxicate, give pleasure to ( + to an object of interest or excitement).
   • Attractive packaging can turn buyers on to a product.
   • Attractive showroom models can turn buyers on.
5. (transitive) To sexually arouse.
   • John's a maid fetishist. Maid outfits really turn him on.
   • You don't have to be beautiful to turn me on / I just need your body, baby, from dusk 'til dawn1986, Prince, “Kiss”, in Parade, performed by Prince and the Revolution
6. (intransitive, slang) To take drugs.
   • "Well, they seem to always have dope up there, and I like to turn on, too."
     "You do?"
     "Sure. Cops is just people. I don't drink, so I gotta do something to get my kicks."1971, Chuck Barnes, Revenge, Timely Books
7. (slang, transitive) To cause to take up drugs, especially hallucinogens.
   • In fact, many youngsters will not even turn on a close friend if they know he has never used drugs. And it is rare indeed for a youth to actively seek out people to turn on.1976, Robert H. Coombs, Lincoln J. Fry, Patricia G. Lewis, Socialization in drug abuse
8. (transitive) To aim at.
   • He turned the searchlight on the passing planes.
   • Cornered by the authorities, the shooter turned the gun on himself.
9. (transitive) To rebel against; to suddenly attack.
   • Suddenly all his friends turned on him.
   • She was Nicolas Sarkozy's pin-up for diversity, the first Muslim woman with north African parents to hold a major French government post. But Rachida Dati has now turned on her own party elite with such ferocity that some have suggested she should be expelled from the president's ruling party.2011 December 14, Angelique Chrisafis, “Rachida Dati accuses French PM of sexism and elitism”, in Guardian
10. (ditransitive) To cause (someone) to rebel against or suddenly attack (someone else).
    • We need to be thinking about what it means the way they are locking us up, and turning us on each other. We need to start fighting for our rights together.1984 August 18, X-Con, “Women In Cages”, in Gay Community News, volume 12, number 6, page 7
11. (intransitive) To depend upon; to pivot around, to have as a central subject.
    • The argument turned on the question of whether or not jobs would be lost.
12. (transitive) To lower, blocking the way and signalling that a train may not proceed.

    Antonyms:

    turn off