turn */*/*/

I UK [tɜː(r)n] / US [tɜrn] verb
Word forms "turn":
present tense I/you/we/they turn he/she/it turns present participle turning past tense turned past participle turned

1)

a) [intransitive/transitive] to change the position of your body or head so that you are facing in a different direction

She turned and smiled at me.

He turned his head and looked around the room.

turn to:

Maria turned to the reporters and said: "I'm innocent."

turn away:

Lopez just glared at the other man and then turned away.

turn around/round:

The girls in front turned round and grinned.

turn to do something:

The whole audience turned to stare at the latecomers.

b) [transitive] to change the position of something so that it is pointing in a different direction

turn something around/round:

Turn your chairs round so you're facing me.

turn something on someone/something:

The attacker killed three people before turning the gun on himself.

turn something over:

Turn the tape over and press "Play".

2) [intransitive] to change the direction in which you are moving or travelling

turn around/towards/into etc:

We turned into our drive, glad to get home.

The truck turned around and came back towards us.

turn left/right:

Follow this path; then turn right and walk uphill.

a) [transitive] to make something change the direction in which it is moving

turn something around/towards/into etc:

He turned the car in the direction of the city.

They ordered the pilot to turn the plane around.

b) [intransitive] if a road or river turns, it bends and goes in a different direction

Here the road turns sharply to the right.

c) [intransitive] if the tide turns, it moves in the opposite direction

3)

a) [intransitive] to make a circular movement

I heard the key turn in the lock.

b) [transitive] to make something move in a circle

Turning this wheel will start the machine.

4) [transitive] if you turn the page of a book or magazine, you move it in order to read a different page

5)

a) [linking verb] to change and do or become something else

turn professional:

Duval turned professional in 1993.

turn cold/chilly:

The weather turned quite chilly in the afternoon.

b) to change and become another colour

The leaves turn bright red in autumn.

6) [linking verb] to become a particular age or a particular time

He turned 40 in March.

It's just turned midnight.

7) [intransitive/transitive] if your stomach turns, or if something turns your stomach, you feel as if food in your stomach is going to come out through your mouth

8) [intransitive/transitive] mainly journalism if someone turns a game or a fight, or if it turns, it starts to develop in a different way

9) [intransitive] if milk turns, it becomes sour

10) [transitive] to give a particular shape to a piece of wood or metal using a lathe

•

not know where/which way to turn — to not know what to do in a difficult situation

The changes have left a lot of people not knowing which way to turn.

- turn your back on

- turn someone's head

- turn heads

Phrasal verbs:

- turn against

- turn around

- turn away

- turn away from

- turn back

- turn down

- turn in

- turn in on

- turn into

- turn off

- turn on

- turn out

- turn over

- turn round

- turn to

- turn up

See:

corner I, leaf I

II UK [tɜː(r)n] / US [tɜrn] noun [countable]
Word forms "turn":
singular turn plural turns

1) someone's turn is the time when they can or must do something, because they are with other people who are each doing the same activity one after the other

You've already moved your piece – it's my turn now.

someone's turn to do something:

I'm sure it's your turn to wash the dishes.

wait your turn (= be patient until it is your turn):

You'll just have to wait your turn like everyone else.

2) a change of direction made by a person or vehicle

He made a left turn into a quiet street.

a) a place where a road bends to the right or left

There's a very sharp turn at the end of the road.

b) mainly American a turning

3) a movement in a circle made by an object

He gave the tap one more firm turn.

4) a change in a situation

The argument over drugs in sport took an unexpected turn yesterday.

take a turn for the better/worse (= become better/worse):

The weather suddenly took a turn for the worse.

turn of events (= an unexpected change in a situation):

We wanted to express our shock at today's tragic turn of events.

5) a short performance consisting of a song, a piece of music, a series of jokes etc as part of a set of performances

I'm going to do a turn at the concert next week.

6) old-fashioned a short walk taken for pleasure

7) British informal old-fashioned an occasion when you suddenly feel ill or very weak

I think she's having one of her turns.

give someone a turn (= to frighten someone so that they feel ill):

You gave her quite a turn, suddenly appearing like that!

•

done/cooked to a turn — cooked for exactly the right amount of time

a good/bad turn — an action that helps/harms someone; one good turn deserves another used for saying that you should be kind to someone who has been kind to you

He had done her a good turn.

speak/talk out of turn — to say something that you should not say because you have no right to say it or because it upsets someone

I hope I'm not speaking out of turn, but I preferred the original version.

take turns= take it in turn(s) British — if people take turns or take it in turns to do something, each of them does their share of it, one after the other

We took turns steering the boat.

the turn of the century/year — the time around the end of one century/year and the beginning of the next

a mansion built at the turn of the century

- at every turn

- by turns

- in turn

- on the turn

- turn of mind

- turn of phrase

- turn of speed