by turns
IdiomsExample Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Blake was, by turns, crude, evasive, combative and menacing.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 30, 2026
Septimius Severus was capable by turns of savagery, cunning, wit and generosity.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 19, 2026
“Billy Preston: That’s the Way God Planned It” is, by turns, heartbreaking and inspirational.
From Salon ● Feb. 20, 2026
Yet there emerges a quality by turns bruising and sweet in the depiction of this relationship, Mr. Melling fragile, devoted and desperate for affection until he explodes, Mr. Skarsgård reservedly beautiful but never blank.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 5, 2026
Everyone wants to look up his or her own name to see what it means, is by turns pleased and disappointed.
From "The Namesake" by Jhumpa Lahiri
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
