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turn

verb · noun

Simple meaning

Move around an axis or a center.

Pronunciation

Say it like this:

turn
US device voice
IPA pronunciation (US)

ˈtɝn

This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.

IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.

Word Review

Definition

Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.

verb

  1. Change orientation or direction, also in the abstract sense

  2. transitive

    To change the direction or orientation of, especially by rotation.

  3. Move around an axis or a center

  4. intransitiveof a bodypersonetc

    To move about an axis through itself.

  5. Change to the contrary

  6. To make a non-linear physical movement.

noun

  1. A change of direction or orientation.

  2. A movement of an object about its own axis in one direction that continues until the object returns to its initial orientation.

  3. A chance to use (something) shared in sequence with others.

  4. One's chance to make a move in a game having two or more players.

  5. 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.

  6. The time required to complete a project.

Word at a Glance

Difficulty
A1 · Beginner
Frequency
Very Common
Typical Use
Everyday English

Word Aura™

How this word commonly comes across.

Aura for this meaning

This meaning: To make a non-linear physical movement.

Used this way, turn is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.

Emotional tone
Neutral
Formality
Neutral
Intensity
Not strongly marked
How common
Moderately common
Connotation
No strong connotation
Usage feel
Neutral and straightforward

Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.

More ways to use turn

  • “We turned from Socialism to Capitalism.”verb
  • “They turned away the crowd at the gate of the governor's mansion.”verb

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Common Patterns and Combinations

How this word naturally appears with others.

turn backturn awaynow turn

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Word Family

Related forms, grouped by how they connect.

Inflected forms

Grammatical variations of the same word.

  • turnedadjectiveInflected form

    Moved around an axis or center.

  • turningnounInflected form

    The act of changing or reversing the direction of the course.

Compound terms

Established multiword terms.

  • turn offverbCompound term

    Cause to stop operating by disengaging a switch.

  • turn-onnounCompound term

    Something causing excitement or stimulating interest.

  • turn on a dimeverbCompound term

    Have a small turning radius.

  • turn one's stomachverbCompound term

    Upset and make nauseated.

  • turn outverbCompound term

    Be shown or be found to be.

  • turn oververbCompound term

    Place into the hands or custody of.

More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin

Synonyms

verb

Sense: change orientation or direction

convertArchaicturn intoturn overcrook

noun

Sense: change of direction or orientation

reverse

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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.