turn back
verb
turned back; turning back; turns back
1
a
: to go in the reverse direction
b
: to stop going forward
2
: to refer to an earlier time or place
1
: to drive back or away
2
: to stop the advance of
3
: to fold back
Synonyms
Examples of turn back in a Sentence
a cavalry charge that was turned back by withering fire
Recent Examples on the Web
Hernandez was backed by stellar defense from third baseman Brady Ebel and first baseman David Rivera to turn back the Lancers, who inflicted one of the two losses on the Panthers this season.
—
Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 14 Apr. 2024
The pro-Palestinian conference at which Abu Sitta was due to speak was broken up by police shortly after he was turned back at immigration.
—Loveday Morris, Washington Post, 13 Apr. 2024
Cyprus, which helped provide the sea route bringing aid to Gaza, said ships that recently arrived were turning back with more than 200 tons of undelivered aid, the Associated Press reported.
—John Bacon, USA TODAY, 2 Apr. 2024
The Vikings fell to 4-7. Serra 5, Whitney-Rocklin 1
Trailing in the sixth inning, Serra erupted for five runs to turn back Whitney in the first round of the Boras Classic.
—Darren Sabedra, The Mercury News, 26 Mar. 2024
The bloody struggle has refugees trying to flee the chaos; many are turned back at the border with the neighboring Dominican Republic.
—Miles Klee, Rolling Stone, 15 Mar. 2024
While the lights on the ship were seen turning back on – likely due to an emergency generator – the engines never recovered, Diamond said.
—Dakin Andone, CNN, 27 Mar. 2024
According to the company’s outage map, the power was expected to be turned back by late Tuesday evening.
—Ethan Baron, The Mercury News, 26 Mar. 2024
Flight 1282, carrying 174 passengers and six crew members, was bound for San Bernardino County, California, but turned back to Portland after the door plug detached shortly after takeoff.
—Marlene Lenthang, NBC News, 15 Mar. 2024
Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 14 Apr. 2024
The pro-Palestinian conference at which Abu Sitta was due to speak was broken up by police shortly after he was turned back at immigration.
—Loveday Morris, Washington Post, 13 Apr. 2024
Cyprus, which helped provide the sea route bringing aid to Gaza, said ships that recently arrived were turning back with more than 200 tons of undelivered aid, the Associated Press reported.
—John Bacon, USA TODAY, 2 Apr. 2024
The Vikings fell to 4-7. Serra 5, Whitney-Rocklin 1
Trailing in the sixth inning, Serra erupted for five runs to turn back Whitney in the first round of the Boras Classic.
—Darren Sabedra, The Mercury News, 26 Mar. 2024
The bloody struggle has refugees trying to flee the chaos; many are turned back at the border with the neighboring Dominican Republic.
—Miles Klee, Rolling Stone, 15 Mar. 2024
While the lights on the ship were seen turning back on – likely due to an emergency generator – the engines never recovered, Diamond said.
—Dakin Andone, CNN, 27 Mar. 2024
According to the company’s outage map, the power was expected to be turned back by late Tuesday evening.
—Ethan Baron, The Mercury News, 26 Mar. 2024
Flight 1282, carrying 174 passengers and six crew members, was bound for San Bernardino County, California, but turned back to Portland after the door plug detached shortly after takeoff.
—Marlene Lenthang, NBC News, 15 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'turn back.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near turn back
Cite this Entry
“Turn back.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/turn%20back. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.
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