turn in

British  

verb

1. (intr) to go to bed for the night

2. (tr) to hand in; deliver

   to turn in an essay

3. (tr) to deliver (someone accused of a crime) into police custody

4. to give up or conclude (something)

   we turned in the game when it began to rain

5. (tr) to record (a score, etc)

6. to withdraw or cause to withdraw from contact with others and become preoccupied with one's own problems

---

turn in Idioms  

1. Hand in, give over, as in I turned in my exam and left the room . [c. 1300]

2. Surrender or inform on, especially to the police, as in The shoplifter turned herself in . [1920s]

3. Produce, as in He turned in a consistent performance every day . [Mid-1900s]

4. Go to bed, as in I turned in early last night . [ Colloquial ; late 1600s]

---

Example Sentences

Except when it was his turn in the body scanner for VAR use.

From BBC • Jun. 3, 2026

On Friday morning, voters — predominately Democrats like Layne — trickled into the Orange County Registrar of Voters in Santa Ana to turn in their ballots.

From Los Angeles Times • May 31, 2026

DAMASCUS, Syria—The past month has marked a dramatic turn in the history of Syria, a nation racked by years of civil war that only ended in December 2024.

From Slate • May 27, 2026

To be clear, Monday’s verdict was an important win for Altman, who has been having a turn in his own rendition of the “Book of Job.”

From The Wall Street Journal • May 19, 2026

“We were...on our way...but without much hope of getting far ahead. With what dread we watched each turn in the river to see what it held in store,” Cherrie wrote.

From "Death on the River of Doubt" by Samantha Seiple

Related Words

• retire