by turns

Idioms

Alternately, one after another, as in She is by turns cheerful, serious, and sad. [First half of 1500s]

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.

“Billy Preston: That’s the Way God Planned It” is, by turns, heartbreaking and inspirational.

From Salon • Feb. 20, 2026

All weekend long, the headlines out of Minneapolis have captured a moment that is by turns alarming and bizarre.

From Slate • Jan. 20, 2026

As in Samuel Beckett’s tragicomic theater and novels, Tarr’s movies, by turns funny and heartbreaking, dignify human struggle with an uncommon tenacity of vision and empathy.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 8, 2026

In this account of life with a wild creature—a being by turns serene and frisky, trusting and standoffish—Ms. Dalton connects readers with the strangeness of the natural world.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 3, 2025

The blog had unveiled itself and shed its milk teeth; by turns, it surprised her, pleased her, left her behind.

From "Americanah" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

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