turn
- noun
- /tɜrn/
- UK
- We finally do somebody a good turn, and just look what happens! #RITA#
Examples
-
I give somebody a good turn, and this is what I get for it.
-
Since it's Christmas... ...I thought we could all take turns telling what is the worst present you ever got.
-
Such difficulties, in turn, create significant obstacles in the education of students with severe disabilities.
Academic text (2012) -
We instinctively spot what will serve our turn; we rise to suitable occasions.
Academic text (1997) -
Thus, human emotions and human happiness, in turn, are closely bound up with these indefinables.
Academic text (1998) -
Students (in groups of 4) each give their input (orally) in turn until time runs out.
Academic text (2012) -
Walter stopped and took each hand in turn, engulfing each smaller hand in both of his and squeezing.
Fiction book (1995) -
Can you do me a good turn and help me with my homework?
-
She performed many small turns for her neighbors during the winter storm.
-
He decided to return the favor and do a turn for his friend by lending him a hand.
Synonyms
An act of help done without expecting anything back
A small helpful action someone does to make another person's day better
An act of kindness done to help someone
Idioms
To change a situation so you get the advantage over someone who had it before
To leave quickly by suddenly walking away because you are angry or shocked
- Informal
To think a dead person is very upset because something goes against what they cared about
Compounds
A period of years around the start of a new century, about ten years before and after
- US
A flashing light on a vehicle that shows which way the driver will turn or change lanes
- Literature
A very good performance by an actor or entertainer that gets special attention
- Specialized
A unit for magnet strength that one ampere of current produces in one loop of wire
A driving move where the driver pulls the handbrake so the rear wheels slide and the car turns sharply
- Jargon
A skiing turn where you push the tail of one ski out to slow and change direction
How Helpful
Surface Forms
Etymology
Turn for a favour comes from 'turn' as an action that helps someone, so doing someone a good 'turn' is doing them a helpful action.