as in to repel
to drive back
a cavalry charge that was turned back by withering fire
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Recent Examples of turn back
Most notably, Wilcox was in Monaco in May earlier that year, at the gathering where it was initially agreed that Ten Hag would be relieved of his duties, only for Old Trafford’s key decision-makers to turn back from that outcome once talks with potential successors broke down.
—
Laurie Whitwell, New York Times, 20 June 2025
Luke Williams, the automatic runner, took off for third, before briefly turning back to second, unsure of where to go.
—Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 18 June 2025
But as a bonus for the Panthers, Marchand has turned back the clock.
—Steve Conroy, Boston Herald, 17 June 2025
When one fan stood on the other side of the table, awkwardly hoping to get Cyrus’ attention, the Grammy winner briefly smiled for the photo with the fan and then turned back to Campbell to continue their conversation, prompting the fan to quietly walk away.
—Charna Flam, People.com, 25 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for turn back
Laurie Whitwell, New York Times, 20 June 2025
Luke Williams, the automatic runner, took off for third, before briefly turning back to second, unsure of where to go.
—Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 18 June 2025
But as a bonus for the Panthers, Marchand has turned back the clock.
—Steve Conroy, Boston Herald, 17 June 2025
When one fan stood on the other side of the table, awkwardly hoping to get Cyrus’ attention, the Grammy winner briefly smiled for the photo with the fan and then turned back to Campbell to continue their conversation, prompting the fan to quietly walk away.
—Charna Flam, People.com, 25 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for turn back
Recent Examples of Synonyms for turn back
Verb
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Fill the hot water, add a small amount of dish soap, and a disinfecting spray to repel odors and maintain bacteria at bay.—
Ashlyn Needham,
Southern Living,
11 July 2025
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The massive aerial assault involved 728 drones and 13 missiles, Ukraine’s Air Force said, eclipsing the previous record number of 539 drones, set on July 4, by hundreds – but it was largely repelled, with the damage limited and no immediate reports of deaths.—
Lex Harvey,
CNN Money,
9 July 2025
Verb
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Trump had for months resisted pressure from Kyiv and NATO allies to turn the screw on Putin, engaging directly with Russia and distancing from Ukraine in the hopes that smoothing U.S. relations with Moscow would bring about a rapid end to the war.—
Shane Croucher
John Feng,
MSNBC Newsweek,
15 July 2025
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While other European markets have struggled with EV sales or considered rolling back clean transport policies, the UK has resisted industry calls for rollbacks and its committed to its long range policies.—
Margo T. Oge,
Forbes.com,
15 July 2025
Verb
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The call was overturned, and the Royals were turned away amid heavy boos from the crowd.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
13 July 2025
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The clinic saw people with treatable cancers whose cases were turned away from local hospital after local hospital.—
Rachel Pearson,
New Yorker,
13 July 2025
Verb
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After a disastrous trip to Mexico where Irina appeared repulsed by everything Zack did, the couple split and Zack went crawling back to Bliss.—
Randall Colburn,
EW.com,
13 June 2025
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Clearly repulsed by the ravages of war, Lear kept the girl a secret, presumably went AWOL, and created new identities for them.—
Matt Webb Mitovich,
TVLine,
13 May 2025
Verb
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After that, even aggressive tax hikes or spending cuts may not be enough to stave off default — implicit or otherwise.—
Leslie Picker,
CNBC,
7 July 2025
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The present-day Yankees look to rebound against the Mets on Sunday afternoon, when ace Max Fried (10-2, 2.13 ERA) will try to stave off a Subway Series sweep in Queens.—
Peter Sblendorio,
New York Daily News,
5 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Turn back.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/turn%20back. Accessed 21 Jul. 2025.
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