Meaning

7 senses
  1. (intransitive)To reverse direction and retrace one's steps.

    Realising he had forgotten his briefcase, he turned back and re-entered the office.

    retrace one's course

  2. (transitive)To cause to reverse direction and retrace one's steps.

    The barrage of machine-gun fire turned back the encroaching soldiers.

  3. To return to a previous state of being.

    He stopped drinking for a couple of years, but now he has turned back to his old ways.

    Once we take this decision, there's no turning back.

    go back to a previous state

  4. (transitive)To prevent, or refuse to allow, passage or progress.

    The soldiers turned back all the refugees at the frontier.

  5. (transitive)To adjust to a previous setting.

    In Autumn we normally turn the clocks back one hour.

    I love that song: turn back to it!

  6. (transitive)To fold something back; to fold down.

    When you make the bed, please always turn the sheet back over the blanket.

  7. (obsolete, transitive)To give back; to return.

Examples

244 sentences
  1. Let's turn and go back now.

    Давай зараз розвернемося і підемо назад.

    deLass uns jetzt umkehren!

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  2. He got tired and turned back.

    Він утомився й повернувся.

    ruОн устал и повернул обратно.

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  3. Tom turned the light back on.

    Том знову включив світло.

    ruТом включил свет обратно.

    deTom machte das Licht wieder an.

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  4. I guess there's no turning back now.

    Думаю, шляху назад більше немає.

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  5. We must turn back.

    Ми мусимо повернутися.

    ruМы должны вернуться.

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Forms

turns back, turning back, turned back, turned back
Base formturn back · to turn back
3rd person singularturns back
Present participleturning back
Past simpleturned back
Past participleturned back

irregular

Present simpleLesson

I, you, we, theyturn back
he, she, itturns back

Past simpleLesson

all personsturned back

Present perfectLesson

I, you, we, theyhave turned back
he, she, ithas turned back

Future simple (will)Lesson

all personswill turn back

Phrasal verbs

16 phrasal verbs

Synonyms

23 synonyms
Close in meaning

Word family

1 related words
Derivedturnback

See also

neighbours in the dictionary
turn back — meaning, examples, forms, synonyms | Krumeto