What does "turning" mean?
A turn or deviation from a straight course.
Turning
/ˈtɜː.nɪŋ/ noun, verb
noun, verb ·Common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A turn or deviation from a straight course.
- Grammar: turning is listed as noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: aberrancy, aberrant, aberration, aberrative.
- Useful contrasts: no rotation, zero rotation, continue.
- Usage evidence: It is no wonder that you are turning down the proposal.
How to use "turning"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "turning" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "turning" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "turning" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "turning" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "turning" is acting as noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "aberrancy" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "turning", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A turn or deviation from a straight course. Ireland, UK
"Take the second turning on the left."
- 2 act of changing in practice or custom wordnet
- 3 At hockey, a foul committed by a player attempting to hit the ball who interposes their body between the ball and an opposing player trying to do the same.
- 4 the act of changing or reversing the direction of the course wordnet
- 5 The cutting of wood or metal on a lathe to shape it as needed.
Show 7 more definitions
- 6 the activity of shaping something on a lathe wordnet
- 7 The act of one who turns (rotates or twists).
"Still talking—more to herself than to the children—she swam into a majestical dance of the stateliest balancings, the haughtiest wheelings and turnings aside, the most dignified sinkings, the gravest risings, all joined together by the elaboratest interlacing steps and circles."
- 8 the end-product created by shaping something on a lathe wordnet
- 9 One of the four eras, each lasting for about 21 years, that make up a saeculum according to the Strauss-Howe generational theory.
"Howe and Strauss predicted that in the Fourth Turning, Millennials would unite behind their president."
- 10 a movement in a new direction wordnet
- 11 Shavings produced by turning something on a lathe. plural, plural-only
"The turnings get into your trouser turnups!"
- 12 a shaving created when something is produced by turning it on a lathe wordnet
Verb
- 1 present participle and gerund of turn form-of, gerund, participle, present
"The Earth is turning about its axis as we speak."
Antonyms
Example
"It is no wonder that you are turning down the proposal."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "turning"?
Common synonyms include: aberrancy, aberrant, aberration, aberrative, about-face, ambages.
How do you use "turning" in a sentence?
It is no wonder that you are turning down the proposal.
How do you pronounce "turning"?
Pronounced /ˈtɜː.nɪŋ/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English turnyng, turnynge, from Old English tyrning, turnung, equivalent to turn + -ing.
Etymology 2
From Middle English turninge, turnynge, turninde, turnand, turnende, from Old English tyrnende, turniende, present participle of Old English tyrnan, turnian (“to turn”). Equivalent to turn + -ing.