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Turn

//tɜːn// noun, verb, slang

Definitions

Noun

1
A change of direction or orientation.
"Give the handle a turn, then pull it."
2
taking a short walk out and back wordnet
3
A movement of an object about its own axis in one direction that continues until the object returns to its initial orientation.
4
turning or twisting around (in place) wordnet
5
A movement of an object about its own axis in one direction that continues until the object returns to its initial orientation.; A unit of plane angle measurement based on this movement.

Show 29 more definitions

6
the act of turning away or in the opposite direction wordnet
7
A walk to and fro.
"Let's take a turn in the garden."
8
the act of changing or reversing the direction of the course wordnet
9
A chance to use (something) shared in sequence with others.
"They took turns playing with the new toy."
10
(game) the activity of doing something in an agreed succession wordnet
11
A spell of work, especially the time allotted to a person in a rota or schedule.
"I cooked tonight, so it's your turn to do the dishes."
12
a favor for someone wordnet
13
One's chance to make a move in a game having two or more players.
14
a short performance that is part of a longer program wordnet
15
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.
16
a movement in a new direction wordnet
17
The time required to complete a project.
"They quote a three-day turn on parts like those."
18
an unforeseen development wordnet
19
A fit or a period of giddiness.
"I've had a funny turn."
20
a circular segment of a curve wordnet
21
A change in temperament or circumstance.
"She took a turn for the worse."
22
(sports) a division of a game during which one team is on the offensive wordnet
23
A sideways movement of the ball when it bounces (caused by rotation in flight).
24
a time period for working (after which you will be relieved by someone else) wordnet
25
The fourth communal card in Texas hold 'em.
26
The flop (the first three community cards) in Texas hold 'em. obsolete
27
A deed done to another; an act of kindness or malice.
"One good turn deserves another."
28
A single loop of a coil.
29
A pass behind or through an object.
30
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."
31
An instance of going past an opposition player with the ball in one's control.
32
A short skit, act, or routine. especially, physical
"Between the pieces were individual turns, comic songs and dances."
33
A type turned upside down to serve for another character that is not available. dated
34
The profit made by a stockjobber, being the difference between the buying and selling prices. UK, historical
"There are usually at least two jobbers who specialise in the leading stocks, and this acts to keep the jobber's turn to a reasonable amount […]"

Verb

1
To make a non-linear physical movement.; To move about an axis through itself. intransitive, person
"the Earth turns"
2
twist suddenly so as to sprain wordnet
3
To make a non-linear physical movement.; To change the direction or orientation of, especially by rotation. transitive
"Turn the knob clockwise."
4
pass into a condition gradually, take on a specific property or attribute; become wordnet
5
To make a non-linear physical movement.; To change one's direction of travel. intransitive
"She turned right at the corner."

Show 55 more definitions

6
change to the contrary wordnet
7
To make a non-linear physical movement.; To shape (something) symmetrically by rotating it against a stationary cutting tool, as on a lathe. transitive
"She turned the table legs with care and precision."
8
undergo a transformation or a change of position or action wordnet
9
To make a non-linear physical movement.; To give form to; to shape or mould; to adapt. broadly
"[…]the Poets pen turnes them to ſhapes,[…]"
10
become officially one year older wordnet
11
To make a non-linear physical movement.; To direct or impel (something) into a place. transitive
"Add sugar and butter, then turn the mixture into a dish."
12
change color wordnet
13
To make a non-linear physical movement.; To position (something) by folding it, or using its folds. transitive
"turn the bed covers; turn the pages"
14
go sour or spoil wordnet
15
To make a non-linear physical movement.; To navigate through a book or other printed material. figuratively, transitive
"turn to page twenty; turn through the book"
16
have recourse to or make an appeal or request for help or information to wordnet
17
To make a non-linear physical movement.; To twist or sprain. transitive
"I fell off my bike and turned my ankle severely."
18
direct at someone wordnet
19
To make a non-linear physical movement.; Of a bowler, to make (the ball) move sideways off the pitch when it bounces. transitive
20
alter the functioning or setting of wordnet
21
To make a non-linear physical movement.; Of a ball, to move sideways off the pitch when it bounces. intransitive
22
cause (an object) to assume a crooked or angular form wordnet
23
To change condition or attitude.; To become (often used with colors, clear sudden changes, weather and ages). copulative, intransitive, transitive
"Near-synonyms: become, get, go, come, fall, grow, wax"
24
let (something) fall or spill from a container wordnet
25
To change condition or attitude.; To change the color of the leaves in the autumn. intransitive, transitive
"The hillside behind our house isn't generally much to look at, but once all the trees turn it's gorgeous."
26
shape by rotating on a lathe or cutting device or a wheel wordnet
27
To change condition or attitude.; To change fundamentally; to metamorphose. intransitive, transitive
"Midas made everything turn to gold. He turned into a monster every full moon."
28
to break and turn over earth especially with a plow wordnet
29
To change condition or attitude.; To change fundamentally; to metamorphose.; To sour or spoil; to go bad. intransitive, transitive
"This milk has turned; it smells awful."
30
to change orientation or direction wordnet
31
To change condition or attitude.; To change fundamentally; to metamorphose.; To make acid or sour; to ferment; to curdle. intransitive, transitive
"to turn cider or wine"
32
pass to the other side of wordnet
33
To change condition or attitude.; To change fundamentally; to metamorphose.; To change (a person) into a vampire, werewolf, zombie, etc. intransitive, transitive
"How long ago was he turned?"
34
channel one's attention, interest, thought, or attention toward or away from something wordnet
35
To change condition or attitude.; To change fundamentally; to metamorphose.; To transform into a vampire, werewolf, zombie, etc. intransitive, transitive
"Bruce Banner turns when he is angry: he becomes the Hulk, an incredibly powerful green monster."
36
to send or let go wordnet
37
To change condition or attitude.; To change fundamentally; to metamorphose.; To change the sexual orientation or gender of another person, or otherwise awaken a sexual preference. intransitive, offensive, slang, sometimes, transitive
"We may not be made gay or lesbian in the sense of being “turned” by some error in parenting or child rearing, but we are certainly biologically made and raised (most of us) by straights."
38
cause to move around a center so as to show another side of wordnet
39
To change condition or attitude.; To hinge; to depend. intransitive, transitive
"The decision turns on a single fact."
40
cause to move around or rotate wordnet
41
To change condition or attitude.; To rebel; to go against something formerly tolerated. intransitive, transitive
"The prisoners turned on the warden."
42
cause to move along an axis or into a new direction wordnet
43
To change condition or attitude.; To change personal condition.; To change personalities, such as from being a face (good guy) to heel (bad guy) or vice versa. intransitive, transitive
44
move around an axis or a center wordnet
45
To change condition or attitude.; To change personal condition.; To make or become giddy; said of the head or brain. ambitransitive, intransitive, transitive
"Ile looke no more, / Leaſt my braine turne,[…]"
46
get by buying and selling wordnet
47
To change condition or attitude.; To change personal condition.; To sicken; to nauseate. intransitive, transitive
"The sight turned my stomach."
48
accomplish by rotating wordnet
49
To change condition or attitude.; To change personal condition.; To be nauseated; said of the stomach. intransitive, transitive
50
undergo a change or development wordnet
51
To change one's course of action; to take a new approach. reflexive
"And they made a calfe in thoſe dayes / and offered ſacrifice vnto the ymage / and reioyſed in the workes of theyr awne hondes. / Then God turned hym ſilfe / and gave them vp /[…]"
52
cause to change or turn into something different;assume new characteristics wordnet
53
To complete. transitive, usually
"They say they can turn the parts in two days."
54
To make (money); turn a profit. transitive
"We turned a pretty penny with that little scheme."
55
Of a player, to go past an opposition player with the ball in one's control. transitive
"Liverpool introduced Carroll for Spearing and were rewarded after 64 minutes when he put them back in contention. Stewart Downing blocked Jose Bosingwa's attempted clearance, which fell into the path of Carroll. He turned John Terry superbly before firing high past Cech."
56
To undergo the process of turning on a lathe.
"Ivory turns well."
57
To bring down the feet of a child in the womb, in order to facilitate delivery.
58
To invert a type of the same thickness, as a temporary substitute for any sort which is exhausted. dated
59
To translate. archaic
"to turn the Iliad"
60
To magically or divinely repel undead. transitive

Etymology

Etymology 1

From Middle English turnen, from Old English turnian, tyrnan (“to turn, rotate, revolve”), from Proto-West Germanic *turnēn (“to turn, lathe”) (also the source of German turnen and its derivatives) and Old French torner (“to turn”), both from Latin tornāre (“to round off, turn in a lathe”), from tornus (“lathe”), from Ancient Greek τόρνος (tórnos, “turning-lathe: a tool used for making circles”), from Proto-Indo-European *terh₁- (“to rub, rub by turning, turn, twist, bore”). Cognate with Old English þrāwan (“to turn, twist, wind”), whence English throw. Displaced native Middle English wenden from Old English wendan (see wend), and Middle English trenden from Old English trendan (see trend), among several other terms.

Etymology 2

Partly from Anglo-Norman *torn, from Latin tornus, from Ancient Greek τόρνος (tórnos), and partly an action noun from the verb turn.

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