Turn (verb) — to move, or cause something to move, in a circular or rotating direction; to change direction or position; to change state or condition.
Turn (noun) — a person's chance or opportunity to do something in an ordered sequence; the act of rotating; a bend or curve in a road or path.
What Does Turn Mean?
Turn comes from Old English tyrnan and Old French torner, both derived from Latin tornare — "to turn on a lathe". The Latin root also gives us tournament (originally a circular combat exercise), contour, and detour. The word entered Middle English around the 12th century and has been one of the most-used verbs in the language ever since.
As a verb, turn covers an exceptionally wide range of meanings: physical rotation ("turn the wheel"), change of direction ("turn left"), change of state ("the leaves turn brown"), and many more through its extensive phrasal verb family. As a noun, the most important meaning for learners is "a person's chance to do something in sequence" — as in It is your turn — which appears constantly in classrooms, games, and everyday conversation.
Because turn is so short and common, learners sometimes underestimate how many different structures it can appear in. Mastering its collocations and phrasal verbs is one of the most efficient vocabulary investments at B1–B2 level. See Cambridge Dictionary's full entry on “turn” for more examples.
Example Sentences by Level
| Level | Sentence | Usage note |
|---|---|---|
| A2 | It is your turn to choose a game. | noun — sequence / chance |
| B1 | Turn left at the traffic lights and the school is on your right. | verb — change direction |
| B1 | It is your turn to present your findings to the class. | noun — ordered chance, formal context |
| B2 | The situation turned out to be far more complicated than we had anticipated. | phrasal verb — turn out (result) |
| C1 | Each speaker will address the committee in turn, allowing five minutes per contribution. | fixed phrase — in turn (one after another) |
Common Collocations
| Collocation | Example |
|---|---|
| take a turn | Each student takes a turn reading the passage aloud. |
| wait your turn | Please wait your turn quietly in the queue. |
| in turn | They introduced themselves in turn around the table. |
| take it in turns | We take it in turns to cook dinner during the week. |
| turn the corner | The business finally turned the corner after a difficult year. |
| turn someone's attention | She turned her attention to the second question on the exam. |
| a sharp turn | There is a sharp turn on the road ahead — slow down. |
| turn a blind eye | The manager turned a blind eye to the staff arriving late. |
| at every turn | The researchers met obstacles at every turn during the project. |
| turn the tide | The new policy is expected to turn the tide on youth unemployment. |
Usage Notes
Verb or Noun?
Turn functions as both a verb and a noun. In the sentence Turn the page, it is a verb (imperative). In It is your turn, it is a noun. Learners should check the word's position in the sentence: after a possessive pronoun (your turn, my turn, his turn) or after an article (a turn, the turn), it is a noun.
Phrasal verbs: Turn has one of the largest phrasal verb families in English. The most important ones to learn first are: turn up (arrive; increase volume), turn down (refuse; decrease volume), turn out (result; produce), turn off / turn on (switch), turn into (become), and turn around (reverse).
British note: "It is your go" is a common informal British alternative to "it is your turn", especially in game contexts. In writing and formal speech, turn is always the safer choice.
Common Mistakes
Watch Out For
It was my turn of speaking next.
It was my turn to speak next. (noun + infinitive, not "of" + gerund)
She turned to be a very capable manager.
She turned out to be a very capable manager. (phrasal verb: turn out)
They took turns for presenting their projects.
They took turns presenting their projects. (take turns + -ing, no preposition)
Related Words
Practise This Word
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Frequently Asked Questions about “turn”
What does turn mean in English?
Turn has two main meanings. As a verb it means to move or cause something to move in a circular direction, or to change direction: 'Turn left at the lights.' As a noun it means a person's chance or opportunity to do something in a sequence: 'It is your turn to speak.' Both meanings are extremely common in everyday British English.
What is the difference between turn and rotate?
Both words describe circular movement, but rotate is more formal and usually describes spinning on a fixed axis: 'The Earth rotates on its axis.' Turn is far more versatile and is used for everyday actions: 'Turn the key', 'Turn the page', 'Turn left'. In informal speech, turn is almost always the natural choice.
How do you use turn as a noun?
As a noun, turn most often means a person's chance or go in a sequence: 'Wait for your turn', 'It is my turn now', 'Whose turn is it?' It can also mean the act of rotating ('Give the handle a turn') or a bend in a road ('Take the next turn on the right'). In the phrase 'in turn', it means one after another in a sequence.
What are common phrasal verbs with turn?
Turn has many important phrasal verbs: turn up (arrive, or increase volume), turn down (refuse, or decrease volume), turn out (result, or produce), turn off (switch off), turn on (switch on), turn around (reverse direction or situation), turn into (become), and turn over (flip, or hand to authorities). These are all very frequent in spoken British English.
What is the difference between 'it is your turn' and 'it is your go'?
Both expressions mean the same thing in informal contexts — that it is now your chance to act in a game or sequence. 'It is your turn' is standard in both British and American English. 'It is your go' is more typically British and informal, often used in games and conversations among friends. In formal or written English, 'turn' is the preferred choice.
What does 'take turns' mean?
Take turns means that two or more people alternate doing something, each one waiting for the other to finish before they begin: 'The children took turns reading aloud.' You can also say 'take it in turns' in British English: 'We take it in turns to cook dinner.' Both forms are correct and common.
What is the past tense of turn?
Turn is a regular verb. The past simple and past participle are both 'turned': 'She turned around suddenly.' 'The leaves have turned yellow.' There are no irregular forms to worry about. The present participle is 'turning': 'He is turning the wheel slowly.'
What does 'turn out' mean?
Turn out has several meanings. It can mean the final result of a situation: 'It turned out to be a misunderstanding.' It can mean to attend or appear: 'A large crowd turned out for the event.' It can also mean to produce: 'The factory turns out 500 units a day.' The meaning depends entirely on context.
What is the origin of the word turn?
Turn comes from Old English 'tyrnan' and Old French 'torner', both derived from Latin 'tornare' meaning 'to turn on a lathe'. The Latin root is related to 'tornus' (a lathe or wheel), which also gives us words such as 'tournament' (originally a circular combat exercise) and 'contour'. Turn entered Middle English around the 12th century.
How can I practise using turn in English?
Practise turn in context with LexFizz's Complete the Sentence exercise, where you can work on both the verb and noun uses. The Flash Cards tool is useful for learning turn's many phrasal verb combinations. You will also encounter turn frequently in everyday conversations, news articles, and fiction — pay attention to whether it is used as a verb or noun each time.