- 1an act of turning someone or something around Give the handle a few turns. of road/vehicle
- 2a change in direction in a vehicle Make a left/right turn into West Street. see three-point turn, U-turn
- 3a place where a road leads away from the one you are traveling on
- 4a bend or corner in a road a lane full of twists and turns time
- 5the time when someone in a group of people should or is allowed to do something When it's your turn, take another card. Please wait your turn. Whose turn is it to cook? Steve took a turn driving while I slept. change
- 6an unusual or unexpected change in what is happening a surprising turn of events His health has taken a turn for the worse (= suddenly got worse). Events took a dramatic turn in the weeks that followed. The book is, by turns, funny and very sad. performance
- 7a short performance or piece of entertainment such as a song, etc. Everyone got up on stage to do a turn. see star turn
- 8(old-fashioned) a short walk We took a turn around the park. illness
- 9(old-fashioned) a feeling of illness a funny turn (= a feeling that you may faint) Grandma had one of her turns. Idioms
- 1one after the other in a particular order The children called out their names in turn.
- 2as a result of something in a series of events Increased production will, in turn, lead to increased profits.
movement
everywhere or every time you try and do something At every turn I met with disappointment. Her ideas were blocked at every turn.
cooked for exactly the right amount of time
to frighten or shock someone You gave me quite a turn, creeping up on me like that!
(to do) something that helps someone Well, that's my good turn for the day.
you should help someone who has helped you
to say something that you should not because it is the wrong situation or because it offends someone
if people take turns to do something, they do it one after the other to make sure it is done fairly The male and female birds take turns in sitting on the eggs. The kids took turns on the swing.
the time when a new century/year starts It was built at the turn of the century.
a particular way of thinking about things
a particular way of describing something
an extra amount of pressure, cruelty, etc. added to a situation that is already difficult to bear or understand
Check pronunciation: turn