take turns

phrase

variants also British take it in turns
: to do something one after another in regular succession in order to share the responsibility or opportunity of doing it : alternate
We take turns washing the dishes.
Almost immediately, Rick and Diane begin videotaping their classroom lessons, letting their students take turns with the cameras.—Ann Bradley
Several youths were around the phone, taking it in turns to gossip and joke with the operator.—Christopher Isherwood

Examples of take turns in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Early in the trip, Erdo followed a large pod of dolphins that took turns blasting out of the water, appearing to put on a performance for the boat. — Fedor Zarkhin, Los Angeles Times, 13 Oct. 2026 There were 25 cards in all, each with a different amount loaded onto it, and the four people took turns swiping one after another. — Eli Hager, ProPublica, 13 Oct. 2026 Using letters randomly drawn from a bag, players take turns placing words on a 15x15 board, earning points for the total value of the letters. — Sean McGowan, New York Times, 12 Oct. 2026 Fowler said last week that Gienger and his father planned to take turns driving 30 hours over the weekend to get the pumpkin the size of a small car to California. — ABC News, 12 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for take turns

Word History

First Known Use

1613, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of take turns was in 1613

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Take turns.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/take%20turns. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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