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Phrasal verbs with TURN

Here we have explanations for 13 phrasal verbs which are based on the verb 'turn'

Turn on

  • Start something
    Examples:
    • She turned on the TV to watch the news.
    • It's getting dark. Can you turn on the light, please?
  • Attack or criticize someone suddenly
    Examples:
    • The dog suddenly turned on its owner.
    • Why did you turn on me? I thought we were friends.
  • Cause someone to feel excitement or sexual arousal
    Examples:
    • She knows how to turn on her boyfriend.
    • Intelligence can be a quality that turns a person on.

Turn off

  • Stop something
    Examples:
    • Don't forget to turn off the oven after cooking.
    • Please turn off your phone during the movie.

Turn up

  • Increase something
    Examples:
    • Can you turn up the music? I can't hear it.
    • It's cold here, so let's turn up the heating.
  • Arrive or appear, often unexpectedly
    Examples:
    • He turned up at the party an hour late.
    • My lost keys finally turned up in my jacket pocket.

Turn down

  • Decrease something
    Examples:
    • The music is too loud. Could you turn it down?
    • He turned the heating down because the room was too hot.
  • Refuse something
    Examples:
    • He asked her out on a date, but she turned him down.
    • I turned down the offer because the salary was too low.

Turn in

  • Go to bed
    Examples:
    • He usually turns in at 11 PM.
    • I'm tired, so I'm going to turn in for the night.
  • Give something to a person in authority
    Examples:
    • A citizen turned in the lost wallet to the police.
    • Students must turn in their homework on Friday.

Turn into

  • Change or transform from one thing into another
    Examples:
    • In the story, the frog turns into a prince.
    • The quiet street turns into a busy market on Saturdays.

Turn out

  • End up or result in a particular way
    Examples:
    • The meeting turned out to be very productive.
    • We were worried about rain, but it turned out to be a sunny day.
  • Go to an event
    Examples:
    • Only a few people turned out for the meeting.
    • Thousands of people turned out to see the parade.

Turn over

  • Move something so the other side is on top
    Examples:
    • Turn over the pancake after three minutes.
    • She turned over the paper to read the back.

Turn around

  • Change direction and face the opposite way
    Examples:
    • She heard her name and turned around.
    • Turn around so I can see the back of your dress.
  • Change a bad situation into a good one
    Examples:
    • He was able to turn his life around after he quit his old job.
    • The new manager turned the company around and made it profitable again.

Turn back

  • Return in the direction you came from
    Examples:
    • It started raining, so we turned back.
    • Bad weather turned the hikers back before reaching the camp.

Turn against

  • Stop supporting
    Examples:
    • Some fans turned against the team after the bad game.
    • She turned against the idea after she heard the cost.

Turn to

  • Seek help
    Examples:
    • Whenever I have a problem, I turn to my best friend.
    • Many people turn to online videos to learn new skills.
  • Refer to a specific page or section in a book
    Examples:
    • Please turn to page 45 in your textbook.
    • For the answer, turn to the back of the book.

Turn away

  • Not allow someone to enter
    Examples:
    • The club was full, so they turned us away at the door.
    • The restaurant won't turn away a customer without a reservation.
  • Stop looking at something or someone
    Examples:
    • She turned away to hide her tears.
    • The scene was so scary that I had to turn away.