12 Common Phrasal Verbs with “Turn” – Meanings and Example Sentences (Audio)

Turn (something) on

to start a machine; to make someone excited or sexually aroused. If someone or something turns you on, they attract you and make you feel sexually excited.

I always turn on the lights at night.

Please help me turn on the computer.

He is turned on when his wife wears sexy clothing.

Turn off

the opposite of “turn on”; to stop a machine; to make someone feel uninterested, especially sexually.

Please turn off the music!

Remember to turn off the lights before you go home.

She is turned off by his behavior.

Turn down

to not accept an offer or request

I am so sad that she turned down my proposal.

Jack turned down the promotion.

How could you turn down this invitation?

Turn over

to change position so that the top part faces downward; to give someone the authority and responsibility to do something

Turn your paper over when the timer starts.

He turned the baby over so that he would find it easier to sleep.

He turned over the project to me.

Turn around

to change position or direction so that it faces the opposite direction; to start being successful after having been unsuccessful for a long time; to develop in a significantly better way

Turn around and close your eyes. The game will start right away.

He has spent years turning around the company’s performance.

The tutor has turned around my English score.

Turn away

to turn your face so that you aren’t looking at someone or something; to not allow someone to enter an area

That’s a horror scene. My little girl has to turn away.

They were turned away due to the strike.

Please turn away the kids. The fire is burning inside.

Turn into

to change one thing into another

If you put water into the fridge, it turns into ice.

My well-prepared presentation turned into a disaster.

Within three months, that little kid turned from a good student into a problem child.

Turn against

to stop liking or being friendly to someone or something

They used to be best friends. They’ve been turned against each other for a while.

People in the town turned against the government’s new policies.

I apologized to him but it seemed that he had still turned against me.

Turn in

to go to bed; to take someone to the police or report a crime to the police; to submit a piece of work

It’s about time you turned in!

He turned himself in at the police station.

I’ll turn in my assignment soon.

Turn up

to turn a button or a switch to increase the amount of sound, heat, or light produced by a piece of equipment; to find or discover something by chance

Please don’t turn up the radio. I’m reading.

Don’t wait for him. He’ll never turn up.

Turn up your voice. I can’t hear you.

Turn upside down

to make a place untidy while you’re looking for something; to cause a lot of changes in a bad way

My mom turned our house upside down but she couldn’t find our pet cat.

The police turned the whole apartment upside down looking for a clue.

Our life turned upside down when my dad passed away.