Definition of turn in English English dictionary
- The flop (the first three community cards) in Texas hold 'em
- To become (begin to be)
When I asked him for the money, he turned nasty.
- A deed done to another
I felt that the man was of a vindictive nature, and would do me an evil turn if he found the opportunity.
- The fourth communal card in Texas hold 'em
- (also turnaround) The time required to complete a project
They quote a three-day turn on parts like those.
- 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.
- To fundamentally change; to metamorphose
He turned into a monster every full moon.
- To position (something) by folding it
Turn the bed covers.
- Of a body, person, etc, to move around an axis through itself
turn on the spot.
- A chance to use (something) shared in sequence with others
They took turns playing with the new toy.
- A sideways movement of the ball when it bounces (caused by rotation in flight)
- A movement of an object about its own axis in one direction that continues until the object returns to its initial orientation
- 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.
- A change of direction or orientation
Give the handle a turn, then pull it.
- To sour or spoil; to go bad
This milk has turned; it smells awful.
- A change in temperament or circumstance
She took a turn for the worse.
- To change one's direction of travel
Turn right here.
- A single loop of a coil
- 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
- the basic coil element that forms a single conducting loop comprised of one insulated conductor
- A fit or a period of giddiness
Then you must know as well as the rest of us that there was something queer about that gentleman--something that gave a man a turn--I don't know rightly how to say it, sir, beyond this: that you felt in your marrow kind of cold and thin..
- A pass behind or through an object
- One's chance to make a move in a game having two or more players
- To complete
They say they can turn the parts in two days.
- 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.
- To rebel; to go against something formerly tolerated
The prisoners turned on the warden.
- To change personalities, such as from being a face (good guy) to heel (bad guy) or vice versa
- Of a bowler, to make (the ball) move sideways off the pitch when it bounces
- Of a ball, to move sideways off the pitch when it bounces
- To change the direction or orientation of
Turn the knob clockwise.
- {v} to move round, form, change, transform
- {n} the act of moving about, change, chance
- The fourth community card on the table Put out face up, by itself Can also be known as "Fourth Street "
- 1 the rotation of the body in the swing (e g , shoulder turn, hip turn) 2 going from the ninth green to the tenth tee (from the front nine to the back nine) 3 curving a golf shot 4 break or curve in a putt Example: 1 John Daly has a huge turn away from the ball in his backswing 2 We grabbed a quick snack at the turn 3 I wanted to turn the ball over from right to left to get farther around the dogleg and closer to the green 4 He tried with all the body english he could muster to make the putt turn, but it stayed straight
- change color; "In Vermont, the leaves turn early"
- All turns are sharp changes of the flight direction The word "sharp" may be used in the key elements section to emphasize that aspect of the turn, but it is unnecessary and unused in the descriptions If a change of direction is not intended to be a sharp turn it will be described as an arc or curve Turns may be described as being of a certain number of degrees (°) The number refers to the change from one direction of flight to the next NOT necessarily of the internal or external angle created
- (sports) a period of play during which one team is on the offensive
- When you turn something, you move it so that it is facing in a different or opposite direction, or is in a very different position. They turned their telescopes towards other nearby galaxies She had turned the bedside chair to face the door The lid, turned upside down, served as a coffee table
- Hence, to give form to; to shape; to mold; to put in proper condition; to adapt
- The point where a road, path, or river turns, is the point where it has a bend or curve in it. the corner where Tenterfield Road turned into the main road. Turn is also a noun. a sharp turn in the road
- When someone turns a wooden or metal object that they are making, they shape it using a special tool. the joys of making a living from turning wood
- If a situation or trend takes a particular kind of turn, it changes so that it starts developing in a different or opposite way. The scandal took a new turn over the weekend
- To be changed, altered, or transformed; to become transmuted; also, to become by a change or changes; to grow; as, wood turns to stone; water turns to ice; one color turns to another; to turn Mohammedan
- To be deflected; to take a different direction or tendency; to be directed otherwise; to be differently applied; to be transferred; as, to turn from the road
- If a business turns a profit, it earns more money than it spends. The firm will be able to service debt and still turn a modest profit
- the act of changing or reversing the direction of the course; "he took a turn to the right"
- If two or more people take turns to do something, or in British English take it in turns to do something, they do it one after the other several times, rather than doing it together. We took turns to drive the car
- The motion of the hand and wrist that imparts rotation to the ball at release
- A court of record, held by the sheriff twice a year in every hundred within his county
- Turning the opposition's argument against them by demonstrating that their analysis is not true and that you can better remedy the problems they address
- To become acid; to sour; said of milk, ale, etc
- a movement in a new direction; "the turning of the wind"
- If something such as a system or way of life is turned inside out or upside down, it is changed completely, making people confused or upset. He felt too shocked to move. His world had been turned upside down
- Used in the context of general equities Reversal, unwind
- Any series of steps on which a player rotates his body 360 degrees
- to send or let go; "They turned away the crowd at the gate of the governor's mansion"
- cause to move around or rotate; "turn a key"; "turn your palm this way"
- A pit sunk in some part of a drift
- To become giddy; said of the head or brain
- Also called a volta, a turn is a sudden change in thought, direction, or emotion at the conclusion of the sonnet This invisible turn is followed by a couplet called a gemmel (in English sonnets) or a sestet (in Italian sonnets)
- If it is your turn to do something, you now have the duty, chance, or right to do it, when other people have done it before you or will do it after you. Tonight it's my turn to cook Let each child have a turn at fishing
- To undergo the process of turning on a lathe; as, ivory turns well
- the activity of doing something in an agreed succession; "it is my turn"; "it is still my play"
- a circular segment of a curve; "a bend in the road"; "a crook in the path"
- To turn or be turned into something means to become that thing. A prince turns into a frog in this cartoon fairytale The hated dictator had turned his country into one of the poorest police states in Europe
- have recourse to or make an appeal or request for help or information to; "She called on her Representative to help her"; "She turned to her relatives for help"
- In most rules systems, a game is broken into Turns In some rules, players alternate or "take turns" playing; in other systems, both players act in all or some of the phases of each turn Each turn or set of turns usually represents some period of time -- for instance, a turn in one modern game represents 15 minutes of combat
- let (something) fall or spill a container; "turn the flour onto a plate"
- Each sonnet pivots around something called the turn, the point at which a logical or emotional shift by the poet enables him or her to take a new or altered or enlarged view of the subject In the Shakespearean sonnet, that turn takes place between lines twelve and thirteen Because the poet has only two lines in which to resolve the argument of the sonnet, this resolution is usually witty, paradoxical, aphoristic, logically clever or amusing The Shakespearean sonnet tends to display its intelligence: it's intellectual and analytical, prizing verbal dexterity over emotion (although not always) (notes drawn from Paul Fussell, Poetic Meter & Poetic Form (London 1979))
- shape by rotating on a lathe or cutting device or a wheel; "turn the legs of the table"; "turn the clay on the wheel"
- turn a blind eye
- To ignore or deliberately overlook, especially with respect to something unpleasant or improper
In this my countrymen, without having produced any really very great work, by the old standards, make a respectable show. . . . In saying this, however, we must turn a blind eye to a considerable number of statues of our distinguished citizens which even more lamentably exhibit the defects arising from ignorance of modeling and design.
- turn a corner
- Alternative form of turn the corner
- turn a deaf ear
- to refuse to listen or hear something
- turn a hair
- To become afraid or visibly upset
- turn a phrase
- To create a particular linguistic expression which is strikingly clear, appropriate, and memorable
Nobody, however, can take issue with Purdy's ability to turn a phrase. He has that rare Joycean knack for illuminating an entire universe with one simple detail.
- turn a profit
- To gain money or to gain materially
The company has not turned a profit from the merger.
- turn a profit
- To obtain profit from an investment
- turn a trick
- To perform a sexual service for a customer
City prostitutes say laws governing the sex trade are putting them in danger every time they turn a trick.
- turn about
- To revolve
- turn about
- To turn (oneself) around
Jesus tourned him about, and behelde her saynge: Doughter be off goode comforte, thy fayth hath made the safe.
- turn about
- To change or reverse the position of
- turn about
- To turn (something) one way and then another; to move about
- turn about
- Alternative spelling of turnabout
- turn about
- To reverse one's position; to turn round
- turn against
- To set against or in opposition to something
She turned him against his friends.
- turn against
- To rebel or oppose to something formerly supported
They turned against their leader.
- turn against
- To use to the disadvantage or injury of
They turned their arms against their former allies.
- turn and bank indicator
- An aircraft instrument that shows both the aircraft's rate of turn about the vertical axis and also the amount of banking about the longitudinal axis
- turn around
- Annoyingly repetitive or consistent
Every time you turn around the price of milk has gone up again.
- turn around
- To consider from a different viewpoint
Let's turn that around and look at it from another angle.
- turn around
- To physically rotate horizontally 360 degrees
Turn around once or twice so I can see your new dress.
- turn around
- Alternative spelling of turnaround
- turn around
- To reverse the expected outcome of a game, usually from a losing position to a winning one
They were way ahead but the game turned around on them and they lost 4-3.
- turn around
- To be duplicitous
You can't just turn around and say that it was all my fault.
- turn around
- To reverse a trend, usually towards a more favorable outcome; to return (a business, department) to effectiveness, profitability, etc
The new management team has really turned the company around and they expect a good profit next year.
- turn around
- To effect a positive reversal of a trend
Let's turn this around 180 degrees and enjoy the rest of our vacation.
- turn around
- To change to the opposite direction from a previous position
She turned her position around and now she is in favor of the merger.
- turn around
- To produce; to output; to generate''
We can turn around 500 units by next week.
- turn around
- To make a situation worse by trying to make it better
They turned it around 360 degrees and now they're losing even more money.
- turn arounds
- plural form of turn around
- turn away
- to bend or turn from a fixed course
- turn away
- to avert or deflect something
- turn away
- to refuse to admit someone
- turn away
- to rotate the body or head so as not to face someone or something
Thereat the Elfe did blush in priuitee, / And turnd his face away; but she the same / Dissembled faire, and faynd to ouersee.
- turn back
- To fold something back; to fold down
When you make the bed, please always turn the sheet back over the blanket.
- turn back
- To adjust to a previous setting
I love that song, turn back to it!.
- turn back
- To return to a previous state of being
Once we take this decision, there's no turning back.
- turn back
- To prevent or refuse to allow passage or progress
The soldiers turned back all the refugees at the frontier.
- turn back
- To reverse direction and retrace one's steps
Realising he had forgotten his briefcase, he turned back to the office.
- turn back the clock
- To return to a previous state
We had a terrible year so we agreed to turn back the clock and go on as if it hadn't happened.
- turn down
- To reduce the amount of something by means of a control, such as the volume, heat, or light
When it starts to boil, turn down the heat to a simmer.''.
- turn down
- To refuse, decline, or deny
He turned down all our offers of help.
- turn down
- To reposition by turning, flipping, etc. in a downward direction
Turn down the blankets to let them air out.
- turn flukes
- Of a whale: to go under, dive
- turn flukes
- To turn in, go to bed
But come, it's getting dreadful late, you had better be turning flukes--it's a nice bed; Sal and me slept in that ere bed the night we were spliced.
- turn heads
- To garner a considerable amount of attention
- turn in
- to go to sleep; retire to bed
I'm tired, so I think I'll turn in early tonight.
- turn in
- to relinquish; give up; to tell on someone to the authorities (especially to turn someone in)
My nosey next door neighbor turned me in for building my garage without a permit.
- turn in
- To convert a goal using a turning motion of the body
- turn in
- to submit something; to give
He turned in his paperwork to the main office.
- turn in one's grave
- to be appalled, offended or disgusted by something, despite being deceased
Beethoven is probably turning in his grave at the way that rock group mangled his Ninth Symphony.
- turn into
- To transform into; cause to become
I am the nursery magic Fairy, she said. I take care of all the playthings that the children have loved. When they are old and worn out and the children don't need them any more, then I come and take them away with me and turn them into Real..
- turn into
- To transform into; become
The carriage turned into a pumpkin at midnight.
- turn into a pumpkin
- To go to bed; to go to sleep (especially at, or around midnight.)
Tell her I'm turning into a pumpkin if she stays out too late. She won't be getting a lift from me.
- turn into a pumpkin
- Used to indicate a curfew, or the time by which one must depart
I'm turning into a pumpkin at 4:00, so we need to finish this.
- turn loose
- To release or let go; to permit (someone or something) to roam freely or to act freely
He's so creative, and I'd love to turn him loose in my garden sometime and see what he dreams up.
- turn of events
- A deviation from the expected course of events
- turn of phrase
- An expression which is worded in a distinctive way, especially one which is particularly memorable or artful
- turn of the century
- The beginning or end of a certain century
By the turn of the century he was starting to become well known in literary circles.
- turn of the year
- approximately at the end of one year and the beginning of the next. Around December - January
By the turn of the year you should receive your tax refund.
- turn off
- To power down; to stop a device by switching it off
Turn off the machine and unplug it when you leave.
- turn off
- To repulse, disgust, or discourage
Cigarette smoking really turns me off.
- turn off
- To leave a road; to exit
Turn off at the next exit so we can have lunch.
- turn on
- to power up (a device), to start, to cause to start operating
Please turn the lights on so I can see what I'm reading.
- turn on
- 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.
- turn on
- To sexually arouse
- turn on
- To set a flow of (water, gas, electricity etc.) running
Turn on the tap.
- turn on
- To violently rebel against; to suddenly attack
Suddenly all his friends turned on him.
- turn on
- To start operating; to power up, to become on
My computer won't turn on.
- turn on
- To fill with enthusiasm; to intoxicate, give pleasure to ( + to an object of interest or excitement)
Attractive showroom models can turn buyers on.
- turn on
- 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.
- turn on a dime
- to have a small turning circle
- turn on its head
- to completely change
The global economic crisis has managed to turn on their head stock exchanges worldwide.
- turn on its head
- To turn upside-down; to invert
The crisis turned on their head the formulas that had seemed to work.
- turn one on
- To excite (often sexually), to increase interest
John's a maid fetishist. Maid outfits really turn him on.
- turn one's back
- To cease paying attention to something
As soon as I turned my back, he started writing on the wall.
- turn one's back
- To forsake, to abandon; to ignore
He got off to a strong start, only to turn his back on the project two months later.
- turn out
- To turn or rotate outwards or out of something
Turn out the dough onto a board and shape it.
- turn out
- The total number of people that show up to an event
The turn out at Sarah's party was not very good.
- turn out
- To extinguish a light or other device
Turn out the lights before you leave.
- turn out
- To produce; make
The bakery turns out three hundred pies each day.
- turn out
- To attend; show up
Hundreds of people turned out to see the parade.
- turn out
- To become apparent or known, especially (as) it turns out
It turns out that he just made a lucky guess.
- turn out
- To result; end up
I had hoped our first meeting would turn out better.
- turn out
- To refuse service or shelter; to eject or evict
The hotel staff hastened to turn out the noisy drunk.
- turn out
- To leave a road
Turn out at the third driveway.
- turn over
- To produce, complete, or cycle through
They can turn over about three hundred units per hour.
- turn over
- To flip over; to rotate top to bottom
Turn over the box and look at the bottom.
- turn over
- To relinquish; give back
They turned over the evidence to the authorities.
- turn over
- To transfer
But what is to be done with our manufacturing population This one thing, of doing for them by ‘underselling all people,’ and filling our own bursten pockets and appetites by the road; and turning over all care for any ‘population,’ or human or divine consideration except cash only, to the winds, with a “Laissez-faire” and the rest of it: this is evidently not the thing.
- turn over a new leaf
- To engage in self-improvement; to begin a good habit or shed a bad habit
Every year he resolves to turn over a new leaf and start exercising.
- turn round
- To make (a ship, airplane etc.) ready for departure
The stopover is very short, and crews will have about 15 minutes to turn the plane round.
- turn round
- To change one's opinion or attitude (especially when becoming hostile etc.)
You can't turn round and blame me all of a sudden.
- turn round
- To revolve or rotate around a centre
The body was turning round slowly as it fell.
- turn round
- To turn so as to be facing in the opposite direction
It seemed that there was someone behind me; but when I turned round, no one was there.
- turn round
- To process; to complete work on (something), especially with a view to sending it on in a finished state
New figures are in – we need to turn these round ASAP, the boss wants a report tonight.
- turn round
- To put into an opposing position; to reverse
He turned the glass round and examined the other side.
- turn round
- To make revolve, rotate
- turn tail
- To flee; to run away; to leave
He was the sort of man who, faced with the prospect of marriage, decided to turn tail and run rather than commit.
- turn the air blue
- To speak a stream of bad language; to curse and swear
- turn the corner
- To pass the most critical point of some process; to pass out of danger
- turn the other cheek
- To accept a punishment or an injury and not act out revenge or retaliate
- turn the page
- To move on to new involvements or activities; to make a fresh start
You've been divorced for three years. It's time to turn the page and start looking for somebody else.
- turn the tables
- To reverse a situation, such that the advantage has shifted to the party which was previously disadvantaged
The tables are turned, my red friend! said the hunter, coolly. It's your life, not mine, this time!.
- turn the tide
- To make a change, or reversal of general opinion
Images captured by the photojournalist Philip Jones Griffiths in Vietnam helped turn the tide of public opinion against the war.
- turn to
- to become, to degenerate into
iron turn to rust in the presence of air and water.
- turn to
- to consult for advice
When I'm in trouble, I turn to my pastor to help me.
- turn to custard
- To go badly awry
- turn to stone
- To become completely still; to stop all movement
The lions would creep up on their prey, but turn to stone when the prey looked in their direction.
- turn tricks
- To work as a prostitute, providing sexual services for money
By 1996, she was a hooker sleeping in the streets or at ratty hotels in Santa Cruz and San Francisco, turning tricks to get her next bag of heroin.
- turn turtle
- To roll upside-down with one's surfboard (usually a longboard) to allow a wave (usually an already broken wave) to pass over
1998: a surfer prepares to turn turtle in the righthand shot — Kite Aerial Photography.
- turn turtle
- To turn upside down. Commonly used for boats and ships that capsize and turn through 180° so their hulls are above their superstructure, but it can refer to any vehicle in a similar position
- turn up
- To belay or make fast a line on a cleat or pin
Turn up the main halyard.
- turn up
- To show up; to appear suddenly or unexpectedly
Highly providential was the appearance on the scene of Corny Kelleher when Stephen was blissfully unconscious but for that man in the gap turning up at the eleventh hour the finis might have been that he might have been a candidate for the accident ward.
- turn up
- To increase the amount of something by means of a control, such as the volume, heat, or light
Turn up the radio and sing along.
- turn up
- To reposition by rotating, flipping, etc. upwards
He turned up his collar against the cold.
- turn up for the book
- a very unexpected, usually pleasant, surprise
Her mother kept well away from us, which was a turn up for the book, and for the time being at any rate, I was a model husband.
- turn up one's nose
- To refuse, especially with disgust, contempt or scorn, and especially in conjunction with the gesture of raising one's nose; to refuse with apparent disregard about offending the offerer
What I want to know is what he gets to eat there. A piece of dried fish now and then--what? That's coming down pretty low for a man who turned up his nose at my table d'hote!.
- turn up one's nose
- To regard with contempt or scorn, especially in conjunction with the gesture of raising one's nose; to treat with contempt or scorn; to ignore or disregard in a contemptuous or scornful way
Lovely as he was, Satan could be cruelly offensive when he chose; and he always chose when the human race was brought to his attention. He always turned up his nose at it, and never had a kind word for it.
- turn up one's nose
- To make the gesture of raising one's nose, as a sign of scorn, contempt or disgust
'What do you mean? What's not like that?'.
- turn upside down
- To thoroughly examine
They turned the house upside down looking for the car keys.
- turn upside down
- To flip over; to rotate top to bottom
Turn the box upside down and look at the bottom.
- turn-about
- Alternative spelling of turnabout
- turn-about
- sequentially; in turn
He not only sold matches like any ordinary match-man, but he drew pavement pictures as well. He did these things turn-about according to the weather. If it was wet, he sold matches because the rain would have washed away his pictures if he had painted them. If it was fine, he was on his knees all day, making pictures... .
- turn-off
- Something that repulses, disgusts, or discourages, especially sexually
I like the people, but the 60-hour weeks are a big turn-off.
- turn-on
- Something that attracts, gives pleasure, or encourages, especially sexually
Pretty eyes have always been a turn-on.
- turn out
- prove to be in the result or end; "It turns out that he was right
- turn out
- prove to be in the result or end; "How will the game turn out?"
- turn up
- If you turn something up or if it turns up, you find, discover, or notice it. Investigations have never turned up any evidence. a very rare 15th-Century spoon, which turned up in an old house in Devon
- turn and turn about
- in turn, one after the other
- turn off
- If something or someone turns you off, you do not find them sexually attractive or they stop you feeling sexually excited. Aggressive men turn me off completely. see also turn-off turn on
- turn loose
- a.) set free "turned loose the captured animal" b.) free from all restraints "turned them loose with a pile of theme paper to write whatever they liked."
- turn loose
- fire off, discharge
- turn loose
- open fire
- A turn
- jar
- Turn on
- activate
- Turned
- versed
- turn against
- If you turn against someone or something, or if you are turned against them, you stop supporting them, trusting them, or liking them. A kid I used to be friends with turned against me after being told that I'd been insulting him Working with the police has turned me against the use of violent scenes as entertainment
- turn around
- If something such as a business or economy turns around, or if someone turns it around, it becomes successful, after being unsuccessful for a period of time. Turning the company around won't be easy In his long career at BP, Horton turned around two entire divisions If the economy turned round the Prime Minister's authority would quickly increase
- turn around
- cause to get better; "The new stategy turned around sales"; "The tutor turned around my son's performance in math"
- turn around
- turn abruptly and face the other way, either physically or metaphorically; "He turned around to face his opponent"; "My conscience told me to turn around before I made a mistake"
- turn around
- cause to get better; "The new stategy turned around sales"; "The tutor turned around my son's performance in math
- turn around
- If you turn something around, or if it turns around, it is moved so that it faces the opposite direction. Bud turned the truck around, and started back for Dalton Pond He had reached over to turn round a bottle of champagne so that the label didn't show There was enough room for a wheelchair to get in but not to turn round
- turn around
- If you turn around a question, sentence, or idea, you change the way in which it is expressed, in order to consider it differently. Now turn the question around and start looking not for what you did wrong in the past, but for what you can do to make things better in the future It's an example of how you can turn around the sentence and create a whole new meaning. see also turnaround
- turn around
- If you say that someone turns around and says something, you are indicating that they say it unexpectedly or angrily, especially in order to criticize another person or to defend themselves. I feel that if I say how tired I get, David will turn around and say, `I told you so'
- turn around
- see turn 1
- turn around
- get better; "Her performance in school picked up"
- turn around
- turning in an opposite direction or position; "the reversal of the image in the lens"
- turn away
- move so as not face somebody or something
- turn away
- turn away or aside; "They averted their eyes when the King entered"
