turn on
Britishverb
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(tr, adverb) to cause (something) to operate by turning a knob, etc
to turn on the light
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(intr, preposition) to depend or hinge on
the success of the party turns on you
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(preposition) to change or cause to change one's attitude so as to become hostile or to retaliate
the dog turned on the children
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informal (tr, adverb) to produce (charm, tears, etc) suddenly or automatically
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informal to interest (someone) in something
how to turn kids on to drama
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slang (tr, adverb) to arouse emotionally or sexually
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slang (intr, adverb) to take or become intoxicated by drugs
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slang (tr, adverb) to introduce (someone) to drugs
noun
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Cause to begin the operation, flow, or activity of, as in Turn on the lights, please , or Don't turn on the sprinkler yet . [First half of 1800s]
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Begin to display, employ, or exude, as in He turned on the charm . [Late 1800s]
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Also, . Take or cause to take a mind-altering drug, as in The boys were excited about turning on , or They tried to get her high , or I told them I wouldn't get on tonight . [ Slang ; mid-1900s]
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Be or cause to become excited or interested, as in His mother was the first to turn him on to classical music . [c. 1900]
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Be or become sexually aroused, as in He blushed when she asked him what turned him on . [Second half of 1900s]
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Also, turn upon . Depend on, relate to, as in The entire plot turns on mistaken identity . This usage, first recorded in 1661, uses turn in the sense of “revolve on an axis or hinge.”
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Also, turn upon . Attack, become hostile toward, as in Although normally friendly, the dog suddenly turned on everyone who came to the door . Also see turn against .
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.
Instead, self-employment tax consequences now turn on whether a limited partner manages, runs or controls a business.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 1, 2026
“This industry does not turn on a dime.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 29, 2026
"We cannot just turn on the computer and it tell us who to sign and then we go sign them," he says.
From BBC ● Sep. 23, 2026
KFI asked listeners to turn on their car headlights that day in tribute.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 16, 2026
In the basement, I turn on the light and close the door behind me.
From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold
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.
