take turns

Idioms  

1. Alternate, as in Since there is only one horse, Beth and Amanda are taking turns riding. This phrase uses turn in the sense of “one of a series of actions done in succession.” [Late 1300s] Also see in turn.

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

take turns

Riccardo Calafiori, Ben White and Martin Odegaard take turns to drop deep, becoming a fifth player to Arsenal's base in moments.

From BBC ● Oct. 9, 2026

If you each take turns listening to each other’s problems ad nauseum, no one wins.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 21, 2026

Instead, they take turns to silently perform a series of moves and poses that look, to the untrained eye, as if they are playing charades or, as they writhe on the ground, breakdancing.

From Barron's ● Aug. 22, 2026

Fabi and I would take turns, I’d play a synthesizer melody and she would strum guitar chords, searching for rhythmic ideas; sometimes we’d just shout at each other.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 2026

“You can take turns showering. Your little sister can go first. I suggest you don’t take longer than five minutes each. Otherwise you’ll run out of hot water.”

From "Summer of the Mariposas" by Guadalupe García McCall

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Related Words

• alter
• differ
• diverge
• diversify
• divide
• fluctuate
• modify
• range

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