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.
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)