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.
It became a journey that was by turns funny, frustrating and terrifying.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026
“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
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
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
