to turn
- verb
- /tɜrn/
- If you leave dairy products out of the fridge for too long, they will turn sour.
- turn sour
And then they put water on them and they turn just really bad.
- And then they put water on them and they turn just really bad.
Examples
-
Troy, all the freezers were out last night, so the meat turned.
-
And then they put water on them and they turn just really bad.
-
Her vengeance, so sweet only a month ago, was turning more sour by the minute.
Fiction book (1991) -
But this same essential nutrient can turn a pristine lake into an algae-covered grave for fish.
Academic text (1996) -
The place is grubby, and the food turns out to be overpriced, microwaved mush.
Fiction book (1991) -
When fruits are not stored properly, they can turn bad within a few days.
-
The chicken began to turn when it was left unrefrigerated overnight.
Synonyms
Become unsafe to eat or use because it has spoiled
To go bad and not be safe to eat
To make sugar change into alcohol or acid using yeast
To become bad or fail, for example a relationship
Become bad in taste or become upset
Antonyms
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
Phrasal Verbs
- Informal
Cause a big sudden change that leaves people confused
Move on to the next page or to a new part of your life after a difficult time
To try to make someone change what they do by making them feel more stress
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 Spoiled
Surface Forms
Etymology
Turn for food going bad uses the idea of change again; when milk 'turns' it changes its state and becomes sour, so 'turn' here means to go bad.