Pronunciation: /tɜrn bæk/
noun a change in direction or course
A1 I made a wrong turn back to the gas station.
A2 The hikers had to turn back due to bad weather.
B1 The army was forced to turn back after encountering heavy resistance.
B2 The explorers decided to turn back when they realized they were lost.
C1 The politician's decision to turn back on his promises angered many voters.
C2 The company's decision to turn back on the merger deal caused a lot of controversy.
verb to reverse direction and go back
A1 I turned back when I realized I forgot my keys at home.
A2 She turned back to pick up the book she left on the bench.
B1 The hikers had to turn back due to bad weather conditions.
B2 The pilot decided to turn back to the airport after detecting a mechanical issue.
C1 The team had to turn back halfway through the expedition due to an injury.
C2 Despite the challenges, the explorers refused to turn back and continued their journey.
adverb in a direction opposite to the original
A1 I got lost on the hike, so I had to turn back and find my way.
A2 The weather started to get bad, so we decided to turn back and head home.
B1 After realizing we forgot our tickets, we had to turn back and retrieve them before the show.
B2 The road was closed ahead, so we had no choice but to turn back and find an alternate route.
C1 Despite our determination to reach the summit, the dangerous conditions forced us to turn back and prioritize safety.
C2 The expedition leader made the difficult decision to turn back due to the worsening conditions on the mountain.
preposition used to indicate a return to a previous point or position
A1 I turned back when I realized I forgot my keys at home.
A2 She turned back to see if she had left her phone on the bus.
B1 The hikers decided to turn back due to bad weather conditions.
B2 After walking for hours, they had to turn back because the path was blocked.
C1 The team had to turn back halfway up the mountain due to an unexpected avalanche warning.
C2 Despite the challenges, the explorers refused to turn back and continued their journey.
formal The hikers decided to turn back when they realized they were lost.
informal We should probably turn back before it gets too dark.
slang Let's bail and turn back, this party is lame.
figurative Sometimes you have to turn back in order to move forward in life.
turned back
turn back
more turned back
most turned back
turns back
will turn back
have turned back
is turning back
turns back
turn back
to turn back
turning back
turned back