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 Among those rescued was Chinese tourist Weiwei Zhao, who had been trekking with a friend but turned back because of heavy snowfall. — ABC News, 12 Oct. 2026 The two giggled momentarily before Quiñonez turned back and answered candidly. — Jake McCreven, Hartford Courant, 4 Oct. 2026 Tight end Travis Kelce looks like he’s turned back the clock for Kansas City, which is running the ball well. — Los Angeles Times, 1 Oct. 2026 An Israeli military official said its fighter jets had turned back before the plane landed at Tabuk. — Gerry Shih, Washington Post, 30 Sep. 2026 About halfway through the evening, attention turned back to Pugh as Guiducci and Bajaria lauded the Oscar-nominee. — Chris Murphy, Vanity Fair, 30 Sep. 2026 Case Keenum turned back the clock, as the 38-year-old quarterback led the Chicago Bears to a resounding 27-7 win over the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday night. — Scott Thompson Outkick, FOXNews.com, 29 Sep. 2026 Crews are still working to clean up the damage left behind, repairing the pole and getting lights turned back on. — Amanda Callahan, CBS News, 27 Sep. 2026 For the first time in the 12 days since my cool-off, with my account newly fat with house money, the company turned back on the push notifications notifying me of BOOSTS and betting opportunities. — Jake Pearson, ProPublica, 26 Sep. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for turned back
  1. repulsed
  2. turned away
  3. repelled
  4. resisted
Verb
  • Young people just aren’t interested, partly because they’re repulsed by bodily fluids.
    — Marta Balaga, Variety, 16 Sep. 2026
  • 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
Definition of repulsed
Verb
  • Many of the nation’s most elite institutions have recently turned away from test-blind or test-optional admission policies.
    — Jaweed Kaleem, Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2026
  • The property can house up to 250 animals, some of which may require specialized care or may have illnesses or specific diseases that would, in most cases, cause them to be euthanized or turned away.
    — Rashad Williams, CBS News, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of turned away
Verb
  • Even some supporters of capital punishment, including a number of Republican lawmakers, seemed repelled by the prospect.
    — Amy Davidson Sorkin, New Yorker, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Some microbiomes attracted the skeeters; others repelled them.
    — ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of repelled
Verb
  • Chen initially resisted the rainbow-like chromatic aberration familiar from other screen depictions of superpowers.
    — Davide Abbatescianni, Variety, 15 Oct. 2026
  • That figure, which includes prices for groceries and food eaten away from home, suggests some restaurants and stores resisted passing along higher supply costs to shoppers.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of resisted

Browse Nearby Words

turned away
turned back
turned color
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Cite this Entry

“Turned back.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/turned%20back. Accessed 19 Oct. 2026.

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