turn on

British  

verb

1. (tr, adverb) to cause (something) to operate by turning a knob, etc

   to turn on the light

2. (intr, preposition) to depend or hinge on

   the success of the party turns on you

3. (preposition) to change or cause to change one's attitude so as to become hostile or to retaliate

   the dog turned on the children

4. informal (tr, adverb) to produce (charm, tears, etc) suddenly or automatically

5. informal to interest (someone) in something

   how to turn kids on to drama

6. slang (tr, adverb) to arouse emotionally or sexually

7. slang (intr, adverb) to take or become intoxicated by drugs

8. slang (tr, adverb) to introduce (someone) to drugs

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noun

1. slang a person or thing that causes emotional or sexual arousal

turn on Idioms  

1. 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]

2. Begin to display, employ, or exude, as in He turned on the charm . [Late 1800s]

3. 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]

4. Be or cause to become excited or interested, as in His mother was the first to turn him on to classical music . [c. 1900]

5. Be or become sexually aroused, as in He blushed when she asked him what turned him on . [Second half of 1900s]

6. 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.”

7. 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 .

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Example Sentences

Hemani’s answer is that constitutional rights cannot turn on analogies that survive only because the categories have been defined so broadly that the distinctions disappear.

From Slate • Jun. 26, 2026

Young said she noticed it when the Ring camera’s blue light would turn on, signaling recording was happening, at times when she and her family members had not press record.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 25, 2026

But when the inevitably cutthroat social dynamics of in-groups and out-groups lead the other players to turn on comedian Ron Funches, not even the ice-blooded Rausch can live with himself.

From Salon • Jun. 20, 2026

When brain tissue is hit, cells respond and repair systems turn on.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 19, 2026

So I turn on the lamp attached to my headboard and cautiously peek over the edge of the bed.

From "Fast Pitch" by Nic Stone

Related Words

• activate
• log on
• put on
• switch on