turn against

verb

turned against; turning against; turns against
1
: to stop supporting or being friendly to (someone or something)
The senator eventually turned against the war.
She turned against her best friend.
2
: to cause (someone) to stop being friendly toward (someone)
He tried to turn our friends against us.
3
: to use (something) in a way that harms or discredits (someone)
Her political opponent tried to turn her many years of experience in Washington against her.

Examples of turn against 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.
Instead, Stierli believes, modernism was a powerful political weapon, so versatile and mutable that it could be turned against its creators. — Justin Davidson, Curbed, 2 Sep. 2026 Reuters ' analysis of the poll found that declines in support for the war were driven by Republicans turning against the war. — James Powel, USA Today, 30 Aug. 2026 The president is defending the data center boom as GOP officials across the country turn against projects that have angered voters. — Cat Zakrzewski, Washington Post, 27 Aug. 2026 One of Gates’ fears about letting AI continue unchecked is that society will turn against it entirely, derailing its potential to improve humanity, particularly through advances in science and health. — Reed Albergotti, semafor.com, 26 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for turn against

Rhymes for turn against

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Browse Nearby Words

turn a deaf ear
turn against
turn a hair
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Turn against.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/turn%20against. Accessed 5 Sep. 2026.

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