Word.ws English Dictionary

turns on

turns on is the third-person singular simple present indicative of turn on.

Meaning of 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.
  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.
  5. (transitive) To sexually arouse.
    • John's a maid fetishist. Maid outfits really turn him on.
  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

See all 12 meanings of turn on

Questions about turns on

What is turns on the third-person singular simple present indicative of?
Turns on is the third-person singular simple present indicative of turn on.

Words near turns on in the dictionary

  1. turns of the centuries
  2. turns of the screw
  3. turns of the years
  4. turns of words
  5. turns off
  6. turns on
  7. turns on its head
  8. turns on one's heel
  9. turns on red
  10. turns on the waterworks
  11. turns one's back

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: turns on (page history and authors); turn on (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.

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