as in repulsed
to drive back
a cavalry charge that was turned back by withering fire
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Recent Examples of turned back
Among the vessels attempting to cross the Strait of Hormuz during the ceasefire, several were fired upon and others turned back.
—
ABC News, 26 Apr. 2026
Time can only be turned back so far, even here, where history abounds.
—Danielle Parker, CBS News, 24 Apr. 2026
Trump vowed to maintain a blockade of Iranian ports if Tehran refused to reach a deal; the effort has so far turned back 27 ships bound for or departing Iranian ports.
—Natasha Bracken, semafor.com, 21 Apr. 2026
The Hawks cut the Knicks’ lead to nine by the time Brown turned back to his starters and kept the momentum rolling to outscore the Knicks 20-9 to end the fourth quarter.
—Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 21 Apr. 2026
Two of the oil-carrying ships turned back in the first two hours after the blockade went into effect Monday morning.
—Yarden Segev, NBC news, 16 Apr. 2026
At least two vessels that had appeared to be heading for the exit turned back.
—Anniek Bao, CNBC, 13 Apr. 2026
But the plane later turned back and returned to the gate.
—Martha Ross, Mercury News, 13 Apr. 2026
Domingo turned back to the audience jokingly disappointed.
—Kennedy French, Variety, 12 Apr. 2026
ABC News, 26 Apr. 2026
Time can only be turned back so far, even here, where history abounds.
—Danielle Parker, CBS News, 24 Apr. 2026
Trump vowed to maintain a blockade of Iranian ports if Tehran refused to reach a deal; the effort has so far turned back 27 ships bound for or departing Iranian ports.
—Natasha Bracken, semafor.com, 21 Apr. 2026
The Hawks cut the Knicks’ lead to nine by the time Brown turned back to his starters and kept the momentum rolling to outscore the Knicks 20-9 to end the fourth quarter.
—Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 21 Apr. 2026
Two of the oil-carrying ships turned back in the first two hours after the blockade went into effect Monday morning.
—Yarden Segev, NBC news, 16 Apr. 2026
At least two vessels that had appeared to be heading for the exit turned back.
—Anniek Bao, CNBC, 13 Apr. 2026
But the plane later turned back and returned to the gate.
—Martha Ross, Mercury News, 13 Apr. 2026
Domingo turned back to the audience jokingly disappointed.
—Kennedy French, Variety, 12 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for turned back
Verb
-
Floyd, distraught by his own physical failures, is nevertheless repulsed by the sight of Carol in her big, burly ump gear.—
Alexandra Schwartz,
New Yorker,
24 Apr. 2026
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Pheidippides, legendary Greek hēmerodromos, or courier, who is popularly believed to have run 40 km (about 25 miles) from the battlefield at Marathon to Athens in 490 bce, to report that the Athenians, in a single afternoon, had repulsed the first Persian invasion of Greece.—
Gitanjali Roy,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
30 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Investors have turned away from bonds in recent weeks, spooked by the specter of higher inflation from the Iran war.—
Rachel Barber,
USA Today,
29 Apr. 2026
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Johnson is also helping the family behind the WELLS Act, introduced in Congress last month, to prevent other women in active labor from being turned away at the hospital.—
Amy Eskind,
PEOPLE,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
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They were met by police who repelled them with tear gas, rubber bullets and pepper spray.—
Scott Bauer,
Chicago Tribune,
20 Apr. 2026
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The Magic repelled the Pistons each time Detroit got close, like late in fourth quarter.—
Jason Beede,
The Orlando Sentinel,
19 Apr. 2026
Verb
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But critics say Sheinbaum’s government has resisted taking steps against corrupt politicians linked to the ruling party.—
Kate Linthicum,
Los Angeles Times,
29 Apr. 2026
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Residents who resisted the charms of the governor’s multimillion-dollar press team were already raising an eyebrow at the bold claims and estimates.—
Torrey Snow,
Baltimore Sun,
29 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Turned back.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/turned%20back. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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