1
as in rotates
to move (something) in a curved or circular path on or as if on an axis
turned the doorknob as quietly as possible
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in swings
to change the course or direction of (something)
the dog turned the stampeding flock of sheep around he turned his cart uphill
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
4
5
as in revolves
to move in circles around an axis or center
the wheels turned, but the car was hopelessly stuck and wasn't moving
Synonyms & Similar Words
6
as in ponders
to give serious and careful thought to
turned the question every which way but could find no answer
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
7
8
9
as in convinces
to cause to have often negative opinions formed without sufficient knowledge
he did his best to turn his new friends against his ex-wife
Synonyms & Similar Words
1
as in walks
a relaxed journey on foot for exercise or pleasure
would you care to take a turn around the garden?
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in services
an act of kind assistance
one good turn deserves another
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in tendencies
a habitual attraction to some activity or thing
an adventurous turn of mind that led him toward more physical activities like biking and skateboarding
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in bends
something that curves or is curved
right after this turn in the road you'll find the antiques shop on the right
Synonyms & Similar Words
5
as in bouts
a sudden experiencing of a physical or mental disorder
a sudden turn of dizziness that may have been brought on by a change in her medication
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Recent Examples of turns
Alexandra Harrell, Footwear News, 30 Apr. 2026
With costs dropping 80% over the last decade, storage is the missing link that turns intermittent weather into a steady, reliable heartbeat for the grid.
—Jennifer Granholm, semafor.com, 30 Apr. 2026
If the sky turns ominous and thunder can be heard, find a secure place for shelter.
—Nc Weather Bot, Charlotte Observer, 30 Apr. 2026
But that would usually start with an early Billy Joel album or O, by Damien Rice, which turns into Fleetwood Mac.
—Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 30 Apr. 2026
After word gets out that Frank Capra plans to see a matinee performance, a series of comedic twists and turns determines the fate of whether the two thespians achieve their acting ambitions.
—Philip Potempa, Chicago Tribune, 30 Apr. 2026
Not Casino Friend turns his phone off and finally faces me.
—Kiese Laymon, Vanity Fair, 30 Apr. 2026
As the two processes move toward different verdicts, the film turns judgment itself into the center of the story.
—Emiliano De Pablos, Variety, 23 Apr. 2026
Under this swift and light-hearted transit, the pace picks up and attraction turns into a cerebral experience.
—Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 23 Apr. 2026
Los Angeles Times, 29 Apr. 2026
More turns, or back and forth between teacher and child, indicate a child is engaged in the discussion.
—Michael Cuglietta, The Orlando Sentinel, 29 Apr. 2026
After years of legal twists and turns — and $1 billion and counting in legal and professional fees for the parties — the broader sentence was approved by a bankruptcy judge in November.
—Geoff Mulvihill, Chicago Tribune, 28 Apr. 2026
Then the turns tighten, the landscape thickens, and the volume drops.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 28 Apr. 2026
Some of the most common reasons people failed their road test involve failing to properly check their mirrors and over their shoulders before lane changes or turns, Zutobi said.
—Don Sweeney
april 28, Sacbee.com, 28 Apr. 2026
Over the course of the mission, the vehicle executed more than 4,000 turns and maneuvers, each of which added to its energy demand.
—Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 27 Apr. 2026
After years of legal twists and turns — and $1 billion and counting in legal and professional fees for the parties — the broader sentence was approved by a bankruptcy judge in November.
—ABC News, 27 Apr. 2026
The season has already been an emotional one, serving up plenty of twists and turns.
—Joseph Erbentraut, Better Homes & Gardens, 27 Apr. 2026
Verb
The fiber is made using a process that turns sugarcane into the core ingredients for stretch yarn, the world’s largest spandex manufacturer said.
—Alexandra Harrell, Footwear News, 30 Apr. 2026
With costs dropping 80% over the last decade, storage is the missing link that turns intermittent weather into a steady, reliable heartbeat for the grid.
—Jennifer Granholm, semafor.com, 30 Apr. 2026
If the sky turns ominous and thunder can be heard, find a secure place for shelter.
—Nc Weather Bot, Charlotte Observer, 30 Apr. 2026
But that would usually start with an early Billy Joel album or O, by Damien Rice, which turns into Fleetwood Mac.
—Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 30 Apr. 2026
After word gets out that Frank Capra plans to see a matinee performance, a series of comedic twists and turns determines the fate of whether the two thespians achieve their acting ambitions.
—Philip Potempa, Chicago Tribune, 30 Apr. 2026
Not Casino Friend turns his phone off and finally faces me.
—Kiese Laymon, Vanity Fair, 30 Apr. 2026
As the two processes move toward different verdicts, the film turns judgment itself into the center of the story.
—Emiliano De Pablos, Variety, 23 Apr. 2026
Under this swift and light-hearted transit, the pace picks up and attraction turns into a cerebral experience.
—Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 23 Apr. 2026
Noun
Belichick and several of Brady’s former teammates — including Rob Gronkowski, Julian Edelman, Randy Moss and Bledsoe, whom Brady famously replaced as the Patriots’ starting quarterback in 2001 — all had their turns at the podium, as did his former on-field rival Peyton Manning.
—Los Angeles Times, 29 Apr. 2026
More turns, or back and forth between teacher and child, indicate a child is engaged in the discussion.
—Michael Cuglietta, The Orlando Sentinel, 29 Apr. 2026
After years of legal twists and turns — and $1 billion and counting in legal and professional fees for the parties — the broader sentence was approved by a bankruptcy judge in November.
—Geoff Mulvihill, Chicago Tribune, 28 Apr. 2026
Then the turns tighten, the landscape thickens, and the volume drops.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 28 Apr. 2026
Some of the most common reasons people failed their road test involve failing to properly check their mirrors and over their shoulders before lane changes or turns, Zutobi said.
—Don Sweeney
april 28, Sacbee.com, 28 Apr. 2026
Over the course of the mission, the vehicle executed more than 4,000 turns and maneuvers, each of which added to its energy demand.
—Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 27 Apr. 2026
After years of legal twists and turns — and $1 billion and counting in legal and professional fees for the parties — the broader sentence was approved by a bankruptcy judge in November.
—ABC News, 27 Apr. 2026
The season has already been an emotional one, serving up plenty of twists and turns.
—Joseph Erbentraut, Better Homes & Gardens, 27 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for turns
Verb
-
Galante rotates groups through different rooms and keeps certain cats separate, balancing safety with giving each of them space to roam.—
Ashley Vega,
PEOPLE,
24 Apr. 2026
-
Most American medical schools ensure that every student rotates through pediatrics; far fewer require a dedicated geriatrics rotation.—
Ken Dychtwald,
Fortune,
23 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The pendulum always swings in Minnesota.—
Marcus Thompson II,
New York Times,
26 Apr. 2026
-
The public discussion still swings between utopian promise and apocalyptic dread.—
Barry R. Davis,
Boston Herald,
17 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Piker’s endorsement of Mills deviates from other progressives who have thrown their support behind Platner.—
Sydney Topf,
The Washington Examiner,
8 Apr. 2026
-
But then the dream deviates, and takes me to the set of Gilligan’s Island, where Bob Denver, who originally played the part of Gilligan, has been replaced by a bearded intellectual who looks like Karl Marx combined with Cesar Romero, who played the Joker on the original Batman TV show.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
17 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
But with the Lightning taking back home-ice advantage with this win and the series shifting back to Tampa, where Cooper will have full control of the matchup, the task becomes that much more difficult for the Suzuki line.—
Arpon Basu,
New York Times,
27 Apr. 2026
-
As the Moon moves through your 7th House of Partnership, collaboration becomes the fastest path forward.—
Tarot.com,
Baltimore Sun,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
But for her own set, Raye is the sun around which everything else revolves.—
Jem Aswad,
Variety,
17 Apr. 2026
-
When the stage revolves late in the play to display Susan’s opulent digs the pale shades of whites and golds almost hurt our eyes.—
Greg Evans,
Deadline,
6 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
As coach John Hynes ponders his Game 1 starter, the recent numbers will show that Wallstedt has allowed a total of four goals in his final two regular-season starts, while veteran Filip Gustavsson has been touched for 10 in the same span.—
Jess Myers,
Twin Cities,
15 Apr. 2026
-
While Heinrich ponders the misfiring neurons in the brain of a mass shooter, Jack’s pursuit of Mink—a character whose skin color and ambiguous ethnicity Jack remarks on repeatedly—leads him directly into the urban teeth of the War on Drugs.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
1 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Our climate depends on the second half of the rainy season.—
Bill Kearney,
Sun Sentinel,
29 Apr. 2026
-
Inventory at the Statesmen Market primarily depends on what the Greater Chicago Food Depository has to offer, but there is an online system for Kennedy-King to order select items and quantities from the pantry’s warehouse.—
Zareen Syed,
Chicago Tribune,
29 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
As Clark spins his story in the interrogation room, suspicion starts to shift to Floyd’s wife, Carol Love-Smernitch (Linda Cardellini).—
Alexandra Schwartz,
New Yorker,
24 Apr. 2026
-
The robot handled spins up to 450 rad/s with over 75% return rates.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
22 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Turns.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/turns. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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