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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

Etymology

Origin of turning

Middle English word dating back to 1200–50; see origin at 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.

Turning back to join the rest of his men for the winter, Coronado vowed to return in the spring of 1542.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 28, 2026

Turning to the daily chart of WTI, one thing that pops out is the nearly $40 intraday range on March 9.

From Barron's • Apr. 27, 2026

Turning back to the current chairman, Pirro has claimed that the investigation into Powell will continue in the nonjudicial form of an inspector general’s inspection.

From Slate • Apr. 24, 2026

Turning Villa Park into a fortress, they established themselves as a top‑four contender during 2023-24 while also reaching the semi-finals of the Conference League, where they were beaten 6-2 on aggregate by Olympiakos.

From BBC • Apr. 16, 2026

Turning his horse, the Corporal moved on toward the bridge.

From "The Fighting Ground" by Avi

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.