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The worm turns

Cultural  

  1. One's luck or fortune changes.

worm turns, the Idioms  

  1. Also, the worm has turned. Even a very tolerant person will one day lose patience. For example, He bullied his assistant for years, but one day the worm turned and he walked out without notice, taking along his best clients. This expression comes from the proverb Tread on a worm and it will turn, first recorded in John Heywood's 1546 collection.

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.

As the story’s many twists expose Daisy and Craig for who they really are, they come to understand that once the worm turns, the forbidden fruit isn’t quite so appealing.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 25, 2023

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.