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Synonyms

turning

American  
[tur-ning] / ˈtɜr nɪŋ /

noun

  1. the act of a person or thing that turns.

  2. an act of reversing position.

  3. the place or point at which anything bends or changes direction.

  4. the forming of objects on a lathe.

  5. an object, as a spindle, turned on a lathe.

  6. an act of shaping or forming something.

    the skillful turning of verses.
turning British  
/ ˈtɜːnɪŋ /

noun

  1. Also called: turn.  a road, river, or path that turns off the main way

    the fourth turning on the right

  2. the point where such a way turns off

  3. a bend in a straight course

  4. an object made on a lathe

  5. another name for turnery

  6. (plural) the waste produced in turning on a lathe

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • unturning adjective

Etymology

Origin of turning

Middle English word dating back to 1200–50; turn, -ing 1

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Darling is one of a handful of companies turning animal fats, cooking oil, and food waste into diesel, jet fuel, fertilizer, and feedstock.

From Barron's • Apr. 2, 2026

If the YouTube interview was the turning point, the next big moment came on 15 March 2024, a national holiday marking the anniversary of Hungary's failed revolution in 1848.

From BBC • Apr. 1, 2026

Only they have proven themselves capable of turning tragedy from high art into national humiliation.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 1, 2026

The study comes as Americans are living longer and more than 10,000 people are turning 65 every day through 2027, in a demographic bubble known as “Peak 65.”

From MarketWatch • Apr. 1, 2026

She says more stuff, I know, because she’s turning pages and pointing, but I don’t hear or see any of it.

From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.