turn away

verb

turned away; turning away; turns away

transitive verb

1
a
: to refuse admittance or acceptance to
b
: to send away : reject, dismiss
c
: repel
2

intransitive verb

: to start to go away : depart

Examples of turn away in a Sentence

using tree branches, the campers were able to turn away the charging fox, which was apparently rabid
Recent Examples on the Web Attendance limits will be set based on each venue’s capacity, and once that number is reached, additional guests could be turned away. Phil Diehl, San Diego Union-Tribune, 20 Mar. 2024 The Slumdog Millionaire star can be seen placing his hand over his heart during the clip and at one point even puts his hand to his face, turns away from the crowd and appears to wipe tears from his eyes in response to enthusiasm for his new movie. Tommy McArdle, Peoplemag, 12 Mar. 2024 As the crowd came to its feet for a standing ovation, Patel turned away from the audience, wiping tears from his eyes with his sleeve. Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times, 12 Mar. 2024 Saunders said in a time of customers feeling squeezed and turning away from Target, there’s extra pressure for the company to return to its innovative ways. Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 8 Mar. 2024 When peak millennials went to college in 2009, the enrollment spike was so significant that community colleges that had once prided themselves on welcoming all students started to turn away applicants. Jeanna Smialek, New York Times, 2 Mar. 2024 But supporters countered that uninsured individuals tend to seek routine care in the emergency room because they cannot be turned away, which potentially makes Maryland’s ER wait times — among the worst in the nation — even worse. Katie Shepherd, Washington Post, 8 Mar. 2024 What to know for Election Day 2024 Can I be turned away at the polls? Hanh Truong, Sacramento Bee, 5 Mar. 2024 Already, many ships have turned away from the route. TIME, 2 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'turn away.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of turn away was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near turn away

Cite this Entry

“Turn away.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/turn%20away. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

turn away

verb
: to refuse to let in : send away
all the seats were sold and a large crowd had to be turned away

More from Merriam-Webster on turn away

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