turning

[tur-ning]

noun

1. the act of a person or thing that turns.

2. an act of reversing position.

3. the place or point at which anything bends or changes direction.

4. the forming of objects on a lathe.

5. an object, as a spindle, turned on a lathe.

6. an act of shaping or forming something.

   the skillful turning of verses.

turning

/ ˈtɜːnɪŋ /

noun

1. Also called: turn. a road, river, or path that turns off the main way

   the fourth turning on the right

2. the point where such a way turns off

3. a bend in a straight course

4. an object made on a lathe

5. another name for turnery

6. (plural) the waste produced in turning on a lathe

Other Word Forms

• unturning adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of turning¹

Middle English word dating back to 1200–50; turn, -ing ¹

Example Sentences

Which is why I’ve come to swear by a three-part drinks strategy that feels both streamlined and generous: a little choreography that keeps everyone content without turning you into the household beverage director.

Read more on Salon

We thus remain modestly defensive on stocks as growth and employment slow, awaiting clearer signs of sustained disinflation and improving macro momentum before turning constructive.

Read more on MarketWatch

Now, all three schools are waiting for Kiffin to decide, turning the man who might be the most loathed coach in football into the most coveted.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Macron sounded the alarm over what he called a "turning point in history" earlier this year.

Read more on BBC

The brain goes through five distinct phases in life, with key turning points at ages nine, 32, 66 and 83, scientists have revealed.

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Related Words

• aberration 
• alteration 
• anomaly 
• breach 
• detour 
• discrepancy 
• disparity 
• divergence 
• diversion 
• fluctuation 
• inconsistency 
• irregularity 
• modification 
• variance 
• variation