turn
English meaning: Turn
Definition
(heading) to make a non-linear physical movement.
Example
“Turn left at the next set of traffic lights.”
Another example: “With age the leaves turn a brilliant shade of red.”
Usage — When, Where & How
A very high-frequency verb covering physical rotation, change of direction, transformation ('turn red'), and many phrasal verbs ('turn up', 'turn down', 'turn into'). Neutral across all registers. Also a common noun ('your turn').
Etymology & Origin
English — Origin & History
From Old English 'turnian' and Old French 'torner', both from Latin 'tornare' ('to turn on a lathe'), from 'tornus' ('lathe').
Related Words
- caution
- lap
- millennium
- worse
- twentieth
- pit
- lights
- century
- onto
Common Collocations
- turn around
- turn off
- turn into
- turn out
- take turns
Word Forms
turn (v); turned; turning; turn (n)
Word Tools
Literary Heritage
“To thine own self be true, and it must follow, as the night the day, thou canst not then be false to any man.”
/To thine own self be true/
“Be honest with yourself — and as naturally as night follows day, you will be unable to be false to others.”
“I'm nobody! Who are you? Are you nobody, too?”
/I'm nobody! Who are you?/
“I am nobody — and that quiet anonymity is more honest than the noise of public fame.”
Images
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Language information
- Language
- English
- English
- Script
- Latin
- Family
- Indo-European
- Speakers
- 1.5B