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.
“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 an evocation of a remarkable figure, by turns obstinate and unexpectedly endearing, Longford’s book remains unsurpassed.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 9, 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
He buried his face in a hankie, by turns lighting it on fire and then dousing the flames with his tears.
From "The Girl Who Drank the Moon" by Kelly Barnhill
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.
