See turn back in All languages combined, or Wiktionary
Download JSON data for turn back meaning in English (5.2kB)
{
"derived": [
{
"_dis1": "0 0 10 3 11 36 40",
"tags": [
"noun"
],
"word": "turnback"
}
],
"forms": [
{
"form": "turns back",
"tags": [
"present",
"singular",
"third-person"
]
},
{
"form": "turning back",
"tags": [
"participle",
"present"
]
},
{
"form": "turned back",
"tags": [
"participle",
"past"
]
},
{
"form": "turned back",
"tags": [
"past"
]
}
],
"head_templates": [
{
"args": {
"1": "*"
},
"expansion": "turn back (third-person singular simple present turns back, present participle turning back, simple past and past participle turned back)",
"name": "en-verb"
}
],
"lang": "English",
"lang_code": "en",
"pos": "verb",
"related": [
{
"_dis1": "0 0 10 3 11 36 40",
"word": "turn back the clock"
}
],
"senses": [
{
"categories": [],
"examples": [
{
"text": "Realising he had forgotten his briefcase, he turned back and re-entered the office.",
"type": "example"
}
],
"glosses": [
"To reverse direction and retrace one's steps."
],
"id": "en-turn_back-en-verb-bFSAdhVp",
"links": [
[
"reverse",
"reverse"
],
[
"direction",
"direction"
],
[
"retrace",
"retrace"
],
[
"step",
"step"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(intransitive) To reverse direction and retrace one's steps."
],
"synonyms": [
{
"word": "about turn"
},
{
"word": "about face"
}
],
"tags": [
"intransitive"
]
},
{
"categories": [],
"examples": [
{
"text": "The barrage of machine-gun fire turned back the encroaching soldiers.",
"type": "example"
},
{
"ref": "1951 February, “Notes and News: Lynton & Barnstaple Remains”, in Railway Magazine, page 136",
"text": "Pilton Yard, the Lynton & Barnstaple headquarters, has been taken over by a fur trading firm, and would-be trespassers to the old engine-shed are turned back by the pungent odour of heaps of carcases.",
"type": "quotation"
}
],
"glosses": [
"To cause to reverse direction and retrace one's steps."
],
"id": "en-turn_back-en-verb-Bu6wm2Z5",
"links": [
[
"reverse",
"reverse"
],
[
"direction",
"direction"
],
[
"retrace",
"retrace"
],
[
"step",
"step"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(transitive) To cause to reverse direction and retrace one's steps."
],
"tags": [
"transitive"
]
},
{
"categories": [],
"examples": [
{
"text": "He stopped drinking for a couple of years, but now he has turned back to his old ways.",
"type": "example"
},
{
"text": "Once we take this decision, there's no turning back.",
"type": "example"
}
],
"glosses": [
"To return to a previous state of being."
],
"id": "en-turn_back-en-verb-WAqermv4"
},
{
"categories": [],
"examples": [
{
"text": "Coordinate term: kick out"
},
{
"text": "The soldiers turned back all the refugees at the frontier.",
"type": "example"
}
],
"glosses": [
"To prevent or refuse to allow passage or progress."
],
"id": "en-turn_back-en-verb-d3ExcgK1",
"links": [
[
"prevent",
"prevent"
],
[
"passage",
"passage"
],
[
"progress",
"progress"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(transitive) To prevent or refuse to allow passage or progress."
],
"synonyms": [
{
"word": "drive away"
},
{
"word": "repel"
},
{
"word": "turn away"
},
{
"word": "stop"
}
],
"tags": [
"transitive"
]
},
{
"categories": [],
"examples": [
{
"text": "In Autumn we normally turn the clocks back one hour.",
"type": "example"
},
{
"text": "I love that song: turn back to it!",
"type": "example"
}
],
"glosses": [
"To adjust to a previous setting."
],
"id": "en-turn_back-en-verb-bZc58dm8",
"links": [
[
"adjust",
"adjust"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(transitive) To adjust to a previous setting."
],
"tags": [
"transitive"
]
},
{
"categories": [
{
"_dis": "4 5 30 6 3 48 3",
"kind": "other",
"name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
"parents": [
"Entries with incorrect language header",
"Entry maintenance"
],
"source": "w+disamb"
},
{
"_dis": "6 6 27 7 4 45 4",
"kind": "other",
"name": "English entries with language name categories using raw markup",
"parents": [
"Entries with language name categories using raw markup",
"Entry maintenance"
],
"source": "w+disamb"
},
{
"_dis": "7 8 20 7 7 40 12",
"kind": "other",
"name": "English phrasal verbs with particle (back)",
"parents": [],
"source": "w+disamb"
},
{
"_dis": "8 9 27 7 6 39 5",
"kind": "other",
"name": "English terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys",
"parents": [
"Terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys",
"Entry maintenance"
],
"source": "w+disamb"
}
],
"examples": [
{
"text": "Coordinate term: turn down"
},
{
"text": "When you make the bed, please always turn the sheet back over the blanket.",
"type": "example"
}
],
"glosses": [
"To fold something back; to fold down."
],
"id": "en-turn_back-en-verb-Oazqu94J",
"links": [
[
"fold",
"fold"
],
[
"fold down",
"fold down"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(transitive) To fold something back; to fold down."
],
"tags": [
"transitive"
]
},
{
"categories": [],
"examples": [
{
"ref": "1602, William Shakespeare, Troilus and Cressida, act II, scene II",
"text": "We turn not back the silks upon the merchants,When we have soiled them; nor the remainder viands.",
"type": "quotation"
}
],
"glosses": [
"To give back; to return."
],
"id": "en-turn_back-en-verb-DNtms~hU",
"links": [
[
"give back",
"give back"
],
[
"return",
"return"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(obsolete, transitive) To give back; to return."
],
"tags": [
"obsolete",
"transitive"
]
}
],
"sounds": [
{
"audio": "En-au-turn back.ogg",
"mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/7/70/En-au-turn_back.ogg/En-au-turn_back.ogg.mp3",
"ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/70/En-au-turn_back.ogg",
"tags": [
"Australia"
],
"text": "Audio (AU)"
}
],
"word": "turn back"
}
{
"categories": [
"English entries with incorrect language header",
"English entries with language name categories using raw markup",
"English idioms",
"English lemmas",
"English multiword terms",
"English phrasal verbs",
"English phrasal verbs with particle (back)",
"English terms with audio links",
"English terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys",
"English verbs"
],
"derived": [
{
"tags": [
"noun"
],
"word": "turnback"
}
],
"forms": [
{
"form": "turns back",
"tags": [
"present",
"singular",
"third-person"
]
},
{
"form": "turning back",
"tags": [
"participle",
"present"
]
},
{
"form": "turned back",
"tags": [
"participle",
"past"
]
},
{
"form": "turned back",
"tags": [
"past"
]
}
],
"head_templates": [
{
"args": {
"1": "*"
},
"expansion": "turn back (third-person singular simple present turns back, present participle turning back, simple past and past participle turned back)",
"name": "en-verb"
}
],
"lang": "English",
"lang_code": "en",
"pos": "verb",
"related": [
{
"word": "turn back the clock"
}
],
"senses": [
{
"categories": [
"English intransitive verbs",
"English terms with usage examples"
],
"examples": [
{
"text": "Realising he had forgotten his briefcase, he turned back and re-entered the office.",
"type": "example"
}
],
"glosses": [
"To reverse direction and retrace one's steps."
],
"links": [
[
"reverse",
"reverse"
],
[
"direction",
"direction"
],
[
"retrace",
"retrace"
],
[
"step",
"step"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(intransitive) To reverse direction and retrace one's steps."
],
"synonyms": [
{
"word": "about turn"
},
{
"word": "about face"
}
],
"tags": [
"intransitive"
]
},
{
"categories": [
"English terms with quotations",
"English terms with usage examples",
"English transitive verbs"
],
"examples": [
{
"text": "The barrage of machine-gun fire turned back the encroaching soldiers.",
"type": "example"
},
{
"ref": "1951 February, “Notes and News: Lynton & Barnstaple Remains”, in Railway Magazine, page 136",
"text": "Pilton Yard, the Lynton & Barnstaple headquarters, has been taken over by a fur trading firm, and would-be trespassers to the old engine-shed are turned back by the pungent odour of heaps of carcases.",
"type": "quotation"
}
],
"glosses": [
"To cause to reverse direction and retrace one's steps."
],
"links": [
[
"reverse",
"reverse"
],
[
"direction",
"direction"
],
[
"retrace",
"retrace"
],
[
"step",
"step"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(transitive) To cause to reverse direction and retrace one's steps."
],
"tags": [
"transitive"
]
},
{
"categories": [
"English terms with usage examples"
],
"examples": [
{
"text": "He stopped drinking for a couple of years, but now he has turned back to his old ways.",
"type": "example"
},
{
"text": "Once we take this decision, there's no turning back.",
"type": "example"
}
],
"glosses": [
"To return to a previous state of being."
]
},
{
"categories": [
"English terms with usage examples",
"English transitive verbs"
],
"examples": [
{
"text": "Coordinate term: kick out"
},
{
"text": "The soldiers turned back all the refugees at the frontier.",
"type": "example"
}
],
"glosses": [
"To prevent or refuse to allow passage or progress."
],
"links": [
[
"prevent",
"prevent"
],
[
"passage",
"passage"
],
[
"progress",
"progress"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(transitive) To prevent or refuse to allow passage or progress."
],
"synonyms": [
{
"word": "drive away"
},
{
"word": "repel"
},
{
"word": "turn away"
},
{
"word": "stop"
}
],
"tags": [
"transitive"
]
},
{
"categories": [
"English terms with usage examples",
"English transitive verbs"
],
"examples": [
{
"text": "In Autumn we normally turn the clocks back one hour.",
"type": "example"
},
{
"text": "I love that song: turn back to it!",
"type": "example"
}
],
"glosses": [
"To adjust to a previous setting."
],
"links": [
[
"adjust",
"adjust"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(transitive) To adjust to a previous setting."
],
"tags": [
"transitive"
]
},
{
"categories": [
"English terms with usage examples",
"English transitive verbs"
],
"examples": [
{
"text": "Coordinate term: turn down"
},
{
"text": "When you make the bed, please always turn the sheet back over the blanket.",
"type": "example"
}
],
"glosses": [
"To fold something back; to fold down."
],
"links": [
[
"fold",
"fold"
],
[
"fold down",
"fold down"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(transitive) To fold something back; to fold down."
],
"tags": [
"transitive"
]
},
{
"categories": [
"English terms with obsolete senses",
"English terms with quotations",
"English transitive verbs"
],
"examples": [
{
"ref": "1602, William Shakespeare, Troilus and Cressida, act II, scene II",
"text": "We turn not back the silks upon the merchants,When we have soiled them; nor the remainder viands.",
"type": "quotation"
}
],
"glosses": [
"To give back; to return."
],
"links": [
[
"give back",
"give back"
],
[
"return",
"return"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(obsolete, transitive) To give back; to return."
],
"tags": [
"obsolete",
"transitive"
]
}
],
"sounds": [
{
"audio": "En-au-turn back.ogg",
"mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/7/70/En-au-turn_back.ogg/En-au-turn_back.ogg.mp3",
"ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/70/En-au-turn_back.ogg",
"tags": [
"Australia"
],
"text": "Audio (AU)"
}
],
"word": "turn back"
}
This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2024-04-30 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2024-04-21 using wiktextract (210104c and c9440ce). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.
If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.