turned back

verb

past tense of turn back
as in repulsed
to drive back a cavalry charge that was turned back by withering fire

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of turned back While not everyone in Dyer had had their power restored, many whose service was turned back on in the last day just lost power again. — Megan De Mar, CBS News, 20 Aug. 2026 Madonna has turned back the clock with a leading 11 nominations for the 2026 MTV Video Music Awards, while Taylor Swift follows with nine, setting up another potentially historic Moon Person showdown. — Spin Staff, SPIN, 18 Aug. 2026 The fire turned back into California late Thursday morning, burning in Lassen County just above the Sierra County line, fire maps showed. — Darrell Smith, Sacbee.com, 13 Aug. 2026 Eventually, Guccione turned back on his stadium microphone and announced the run would count, leading to further boos. — Mitch Bannon, New York Times, 11 Aug. 2026 The proposal, which called for overhauling the judicial selection process and directly electing Supreme Court justices, was decisively turned back on Tuesday. — Ben Wheeler, Kansas City Star, 5 Aug. 2026 In May, the Court of International Trade turned back another set. — Kevin Rector, Los Angeles Times, 3 Aug. 2026 Paige turned back around to find Nikki Bella hitting her with a clothesline. — Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 2 Aug. 2026 Sandy Creek has sat idle since a major failure last year and isn’t expected to be turned back on until March 2027. — Ella Nilsen, CNN Money, 13 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for turned back
  1. repulsed
  2. turned away
  3. repelled
  4. resisted
Verb
  • His recent comments didn’t favor the Browns fanbase, and many Cleveland fans seem viscerally repulsed by him.
    — Andy Behrens, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2026
  • Most Americans are repulsed by the core ideas of radical leftists.
    — Steve Forbes, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of repulsed
Verb
  • Sprague told the jury that Clancy was never turned away from mental health care, but that in fact Clancy refused help.
    — Sumiko Corley, NBC news, 27 Aug. 2026
  • This summer, Whatley’s campaign barred journalists from mainstream and left-leaning outlets from events, while Cooper’s campaign turned away staffers from two conservative outlets, but local coverage focused more heavily on Whatley.
    — David A. Graham, The Atlantic, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of turned away
Verb
  • The Ukrainian defenders repelled the attack and posted video footage of their kamikaze drone strikes destroying at least seven T-72B3A tanks, including some that carried the Arena-M system, according to Euromaidan Press.
    — Jeremy Hsu, ArsTechnica, 18 Aug. 2026
  • The narrator, though curious to speak herself, is finally repelled.
    — Maya Binyam, New Yorker, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of repelled
Verb
  • The suspect was uncooperative during the contact and physically resisted, briefly pulling the officer partially inside his vehicle, Lincoln police said in a social media post.
    — Tania Azhang, Sacbee.com, 29 Aug. 2026
  • The tribute carries particular resonance because Parton had previously resisted efforts to put her own legacy on a pedestal.
    — Jasmine Baehr, FOXNews.com, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of resisted

Browse Nearby Words

turned away
turned back
turned color
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Turned back.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/turned%20back. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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