turn away
Britishverb
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to move or cause to move in a different direction so as not to face something
one of the child turned away while the others hid
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(tr) to refuse admittance or assistance to
dozens of people were turned away from the hostel
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Send away, dismiss, as in They ran short and had to turn away many customers . [Late 1500s]
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Repel, as in The high prices turned away prospective buyers .
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Avert, deflect, as in She managed to turn away all criticism . [Late 1300s]
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.
Wearing a tan jumpsuit, he read a prepared statement in Spanish in which he extraordinarily urged young people to turn away from violence.
From Barron's ● Jul. 20, 2026
Profits are falling at flagship names such as General Mills GIS -1.89%decrease; down pointing triangle and Kraft Heinz KHC -1.33%decrease; down pointing triangle as consumers turn away from their legacy products.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 19, 2026
“In California, we don’t turn away from the needs of our people — we meet them head-on,” said Gov. Gavin Newsom in a statement about the measure.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 6, 2026
Children were dying, and as the father of two young girls, I couldn’t comprehend why he would turn away from science.
From Salon ● Jun. 8, 2026
“Normally I’m not one to bend the rules, but how can I turn away a child with such splendid taste in clothing? However unintentional.”
From "Amari and the Night Brothers" by B.B. Alston
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.
