v. To change the position of so that the underside becomes the upper side: turn the steak; turn a page.v. To cause to move around in order to achieve a result, such as opening, closing, tightening, or loosening: turn the key; turn a screw. v. To alter or control the functioning of (a mechanical device, for example) by the use of a rotating or similar movement: turned the iron to a hotter setting. v. To perform or accomplish by rotating or revolving: turn a somersault. v. To change the position of so that the underside becomes the upper side: turn the steak; turn a page. v. To spade or plow (soil) to bring the undersoil to the surface.v. To reverse and resew the material of (a collar, for example).v. To revolve in the mind; meditate on; ponder.v. To give a rounded form to (wood, for example) by rotating against a cutting tool.v. To give a rounded shape to (clay, for example) by rotating and shaping with the hands or tools.v. To give a rounded form to: turn a heel in knitting a sock. v. To give distinctive, artistic, or graceful form to: "They know precisely how to turn a dramatic line or phrase that is guaranteed to make the evening news” ( William Safire). v. To change the position of by traversing an arc of a circle; pivot: turned his chair toward the speaker. v. To present in a specified direction by rotating or pivoting: turn one's face to the wall. v. To cause (a scale) to move up or down so as to register weight: Even a feather will turn a delicate scale. v. To fold, bend, or twist (something).v. To change the position or disposition of by folding, bending, or twisting: Turn the design right side up on your jacket buttons. Turn the hat inside out. v. To make a bend or curve in: strong enough to turn a bar of steel. v. To blunt or dull (the edge of a cutting instrument).v. To injure by twisting: turn an ankle. v. To upset or make nauseated: That story turns my stomach. v. To change the direction or course of: turn the car to the left. v. To divert or deflect: turn a stampede. v. To reverse the course of; cause to retreat: "Then turn your forces from this paltry siege/And stir them up against a mightier task” ( Shakespeare). v. To make a course around or about: turn a corner. v. To change the purpose, intention, or content of by persuasion or influence: Her speech turned my thinking. v. To change the order or disposition of; unsettle: "Sudden prosperity had turned [his] head” ( Thomas Macaulay). v. To aim or focus: turn one's gaze to the sky; turned the camera on the speaker. v. To devote or apply (oneself, for example) to something: She turned herself to law. v. To cause to act or go against; make antagonistic: The scandal turned public opinion against the candidate. v. To cause to go in a specific direction; direct: They turned their steps toward home. v. To send, drive, or let go: turn the bully out of the bar; turned the dog loose. v. To pour, let fall, or otherwise release (contents) from or into a receptacle: Turn the dough onto a floured board. v. To cause to take on a specified character, nature, identity, or appearance; change or transform. Used with to or into: water that had been turned to ice; turn a rundown house into a show place. v. To make sour; ferment: Lack of refrigeration turned the milk. v. To affect or change the color of: Autumn turns the green leaves golden. v. To exchange; convert. Used with to or into: turns her singing talent into extra money. v. To keep in circulation; sell and restock: We turned a great deal of merchandise during the holidays. v. To make use of: turned the situation to our advantage. v. To get by buying and selling: turn a fair profit. v. To perform successfully; complete: turn a double play. v. Slang To perform (an act of prostitution): turning tricks. verb-intransitive. To move around an axis or center; rotate or revolve.verb-intransitive. To have a sensation of revolving or whirling, especially as a result of dizziness or giddiness.verb-intransitive. To change position from side to side or back and forth: I tossed and turned all night. verb-intransitive. To progress through pages so as to arrive at a given place: Please turn to page 31. verb-intransitive. To operate a lathe.verb-intransitive. To be formed on a lathe: a softwood that turns easily. verb-intransitive. To direct one's way or course: The truck turned into the gas station. Turn off the highway at the next exit. verb-intransitive. To change or reverse one's way, course, or direction: Too tired to go farther, we turned toward home. verb-intransitive. To have a specific reaction or effect, especially when adverse.verb-intransitive. To change one's actions or attitudes adversely; become hostile or antagonistic: The peasants turned against the cruel king. verb-intransitive. To attack suddenly and violently with no apparent motive: The lion turned on the animal trainer. verb-intransitive. To channel one's attention, interest, or thought toward or away from something: "In the spring a young man's fancy lightly turns to thoughts of love” ( Tennyson). verb-intransitive. To devote or apply oneself to something, as to a field of study: Unsuccessful in math, the student turned to biology. verb-intransitive. To convert to a religion.verb-intransitive. To switch one's loyalty from one side or party to another.verb-intransitive. To have recourse to a person or thing for help, support, or information.verb-intransitive. To depend on something for success or failure; hinge: "The election would turn not on ideology but on competence” ( George F. Will). verb-intransitive. To change so as to be; become: His hair turned gray. I am a lawyer turned novelist. verb-intransitive. To change; become transformed. Used with to or into: The sky turned to pink at dawn. The night turned into day. verb-intransitive. To reach and pass (a certain age, for example): My niece has turned two. verb-intransitive. To become sour: The milk will turn if you don't refrigerate it. verb-intransitive. To change color: The leaves have turned. verb-intransitive. To be stocked and sold: This merchandise will turn easily. verb-intransitive. To become dull or blunt by bending back. Used of the edge of a cutting instrument.n. The act of turning or the condition of being turned; rotation or revolution.n. A change of direction, motion, or position: Make a left turn at the corner. n. A place, as in a road or path, where a change in direction occurs; a curve: a sharp turn in the road. n. A departure or deviation, as in a trend: a strange turn of events. n. A point marking the end of one period of time and the beginning of the next: the turn of the century. n. A chance or opportunity.n. One of a series of such opportunities accorded people in succession or in scheduled order: waiting for her next turn at bat. n. A period of participation: a turn at wrestling. n. An attack of illness or severe nervousness.n. Informal A momentary shock or scare: I had quite a turn when I heard the crash. n. A characteristic mood, style, or habit; a natural inclination: an inquisitive turn of mind. n. A propensity or adeptness: She has a turn for carpentry. n. A distinctive, graceful, or artistic expression or arrangement of words: the poetic turn of a phrase. n. A movement or development in a particular direction: a turn for the worse. n. A variation of a given kind or type: "His muse occasionally takes a humorous and satirical turn” ( Albert C. Baugh). n. A deed or action having a good or bad effect on another: "He thought some friend had done him an ill turn” ( Stephen Crane). n. Advantage or purpose: It served his turn. n. A short walk or excursion out and back: took a turn in the park. n. A distortion in shape.n. The condition of being twisted or wound.n. A winding of one thing about another.n. A single wind or convolution, as of wire on a spool.n. Something that winds or turns around a center axis.n. Music A figure or ornament, usually consisting of four or more notes in rapid succession and including the principal note, the one a degree above it, and the one a degree below it.n. A brief theatrical act or stage appearance.n. A transaction on the stock market involving both a sale and a purchase.n. South Atlantic U.S. The amount that can be carried in the arms in one load: a turn of firewood. phrasal-verb. turn away To send away; dismiss: turned away the clerk. phrasal-verb. turn away To repel: The poor location of the house turned away prospective buyers. phrasal-verb. turn away To avert; deflect: turned away all criticism. phrasal-verb. turn back To reverse one's direction of motion: stopped on the road and had to turn back. phrasal-verb. turn back To drive back and away: turned back the uninvited comers. phrasal-verb. turn back To halt the advance of: turned back the advancing army. phrasal-verb. turn back To fold down: Turn back the page's corner to save your place in the book. phrasal-verb. turn down To diminish the speed, volume, intensity, or flow of: Turn down the radio, please. phrasal-verb. turn down To reject or refuse, as a person, advice, or a suggestion: turned down the invitation. phrasal-verb. turn down To fold or be capable of folding down: turn a collar down; a collar that turns down. phrasal-verb. turn in To hand in; give over: turned in the final exam. phrasal-verb. turn in To inform on or deliver: The criminal turned herself in. phrasal-verb. turn in To produce: turns in a consistent performance every day. phrasal-verb. turn in Informal To go to bed: I turned in early last night. phrasal-verb. turn off To stop the operation, activity, or flow of; shut off: turned off the television. phrasal-verb. turn off To affect with dislike, displeasure, or revulsion: That song really turns me off. phrasal-verb. turn off To affect with boredom: The play turned the audience off. phrasal-verb. turn off To lose or cause to lose interest; withdraw: turning off to materialism. phrasal-verb. turn off To cease paying attention to: The student turned off the boring lecture and daydreamed. phrasal-verb. turn off To divert; deflect.phrasal-verb. turn off Chiefly British To dismiss (an employee).phrasal-verb. turn on To cause to begin the operation, activity, or flow of: Turn on the light bulb. phrasal-verb. turn on To begin to display, employ, or exude: turn on the charm. phrasal-verb. turn on To take or cause to take a mind-altering drug, especially for the first time.phrasal-verb. turn on To be or cause to become interested, pleasurably excited, or stimulated. Often used with to: My aunt turned me on to jazz. She turned on to surfing this summer. phrasal-verb. turn on To excite or become excited sexually.phrasal-verb. turn out To shut off: turned out the lights. phrasal-verb. turn out To arrive or assemble, as for a public event or entertainment: Many protesters have turned out. phrasal-verb. turn out To produce, as by a manufacturing process; make: an assembly line turning out cars. phrasal-verb. turn out To be found to be, as after experience or trial: The rookie turned out to be the team's best hitter. phrasal-verb. turn out To end up; result: The cake turned out beautifully. phrasal-verb. turn out To equip; outfit: troops that were turned out lavishly phrasal-verb. turn out Informal To get out of bed.phrasal-verb. turn out To evict; expel: The tenants were turned out. phrasal-verb. turn over To bring the bottom to the top or vice versa; invert.phrasal-verb. turn over To shift the position of, as by rolling from one side to the other.phrasal-verb. turn over To shift one's position by rolling from one side to the other.phrasal-verb. turn over To rotate; cycle: The engine turned over but wouldn't start. phrasal-verb. turn over To think about; consider: turned over the problem in her mind. phrasal-verb. turn over To transfer to another; surrender: turned over the illegal funds. phrasal-verb. turn over Sports To lose possession of (the ball).phrasal-verb. turn over To do business to the extent or amount of: turn over a million dollars a year. phrasal-verb. turn over To seem to lurch or heave convulsively: My stomach turned over. phrasal-verb. turn to To begin work: If you quit dawdling and just turn to, your chores will be done soon. phrasal-verb. turn up To increase the speed, volume, intensity, or flow of: Turn up the radio. phrasal-verb. turn up To find: She turned up the missing keys under her briefcase. phrasal-verb. turn up To be found: The papers will turn up sooner or later. phrasal-verb. turn up To make an appearance; arrive: Many old friends turned up at the reunion. phrasal-verb. turn up To fold or be capable of folding up: turning up his cuffs; cuffs that will turn up. phrasal-verb. turn up To happen unexpectedly: Something turned up, so I couldn't go. phrasal-verb. turn up To be evident: a sculptor whose name turns up in the art circles. idiom. at every turn In every place; at every moment.idiom. by turns One after another; alternately: "From the ... testimony emerges a man by turns devious and honest, vulgar and gallant, scatterbrained and shrewd” ( Life). idiom. in turn In the proper order or sequence.idiom. out of turn Not in the proper order or sequence.idiom. out of turn At an inappropriate time or in an inappropriate manner: The student was reprimanded for speaking out of turn. idiom. to a turn To a precise degree; perfectly: The roast was done to a turn. idiom. turn a blind eye To refuse to see or recognize something: turned a blind eye to tax fraud. idiom. turn a deaf ear To refuse to listen to or hear something: turned a deaf ear to the protests. idiom. turn a hair To become afraid or upset: didn't turn a hair during the crisis. idiom. turn (one's) back on To deny; reject.idiom. turn (one's) back on To abandon; forsake.idiom. turn (one's) hand To apply oneself, as to a task: turned her hand to writing the report. idiom. turn (one's) head To cause to become infatuated.idiom. turn (one's) head To cause to become egotistical and conceited: Success has turned his head. idiom. turn over a new leaf To change, as one's attitude or conduct, for the better.idiom. turn tail To run away.idiom. the To reach and surpass a midpoint or milestone.idiom. turn the other cheek To respond to insult or injury by patiently eschewing retaliation.idiom. turn the scales To offset the balance of a situation.idiom. turn the tables To reverse a situation and gain the upper hand.idiom. turn turtle To capsize or turn upside-down: Our sailboat turned turtle during the squall. idiom. turn up (one's) nose To regard something with disdain or scorn: turned up her nose at the food.
