Skip to main content
to turn

to turn

433 4.6
Go bad, especially food or drink
  • verb
  • /tɜrn/
translation icon : echarse a perder
  • 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.

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

to go bad
vsto turn
32 2.1

Become unsafe to eat or use because it has spoiled

highlights food or drink developing an off taste rather than broad unfitness
to spoil
vsto turn
30 1.6

To go bad and not be safe to eat

is specific to food or drink becoming unpleasant in taste rather than general decay
to ferment
vsto turn
  • Specialized
27 5.5

To make sugar change into alcohol or acid using yeast

refers to simple spoilage or taste change rather than a specific chemical process
to go sour
vsto turn
17 4.1

To become bad or fail, for example a relationship

is used mainly for food or drink becoming unfit rather than failure
to sour
vsto turn
12 3.4

Become bad in taste or become upset

focuses more narrowly on food or drink going bad rather than general failure

Antonyms

65 3.2

To stop food from going bad so it lasts longer

Idioms

245 3.3

Happening one after another or as a result of what happened before

Choose to ignore something wrong

38 3.5

Again and again in every situation

To make big positive changes in your life after hard times

Choose not to fight back after someone hurts or insults you

To change a situation so you get the advantage over someone who had it before

Cause a big change that makes things much better

To begin to get better after a difficult time

Make people see something in a very different way

11 9.9

To have sex with a customer for money

11 5.2

To go back to an earlier time or wish you could

to turn to stone
  • Literature
10 7.7

Become completely still and look like stone when frightened

To make you feel sick or disgusted

Refuse to listen to someone who gives advice or warnings

To leave quickly by suddenly walking away because you are angry or shocked

A change that makes a situation better

3 7.2

To turn quickly in a very small space, like a car

To show you think something is not good enough

to turn a phrase
  • Informal
2 6.8

Say something in a clever, attractive way

1 8.6

To think a dead person is very upset because something goes against what they cared about

1 6.8

A situation that becomes noisy, messy, and out of control

1 8.4

To start crying to make someone feel sorry for you

To be good enough for a purpose for a short time

1 7.7

Exactly the right amount or degree needed

Help someone stop being sad and start smiling

Show no sign of worry, fear, or surprise

1 9.3

You have to go home or go to bed because it is very late

1 9.9

A big mistake that changes your plans or life

to execute a U-turn
  • Literature
5.3

Change a plan or decision so the opposite happens

7.8

Make a good amount of money from business or sales

Make good money from a business or activity

To become red in the face when you feel embarrassed

9.9

To suddenly become chaotic and very messy

An event that makes a tense or difficult situation worse

Change which person or group you support for your own benefit

Completely change the usual idea about something

Make something good from pain or a bad situation

9.9

To use swear words, often when angry

To give one side an advantage in a situation

Make a situation end the way you want

To change a situation completely and suddenly

turn up to bat
  • Informal
7.7

A chance to speak or act after others have had theirs

Change opinions often to fit new people or situations

Phrasal Verbs

3.4

To be discovered or to happen in a way you do not expect

890 2.2

To change into something different or make something change

631 1.3

To stop a machine or device from working with a switch

550 1.0

To make a machine or device start working

384 2.0

To move your body to face the opposite direction or change your attitude

378 2.8

Go to someone or something for help

312 2.9

Refuse an offer, invitation, or request

291 3.3

To give a person or thing to the police

248 3.2

Give a person or thing to someone else to look after

191 2.7

Make the sound or heat from something lower, for example music

177 2.0

To appear after being lost or when not expected

172 2.7

Face someone and speak to them

159 2.1

To go back to a previous place or state

157 3.2

To make someone or something better after a bad time

155 3.0

To find something while searching or by chance

to turn on
  • NSFW
152 7.2

To make someone feel excited or interested

133 4.8

To suddenly become unfriendly or aggressive towards someone

94 2.3

Move your body so you do not face someone or something

Choose not to be involved with someone or something anymore

To start opposing someone you once supported

77 2.8

Refuse someone entry to a place or group

74 3.5

People come to an event in large numbers

Cause a big sudden change that leaves people confused

to turn off
  • Informal
44 4.4

To make someone feel strong dislike

42 2.8

To fold up the edge of clothes so it covers part of them

To switch a light so it stops shining

36 2.7

To switch off a light or machine

To move your body so you can see someone or something

31 2.6

Flip something so the other side faces up

30 1.8

To leave a road and go onto another road

to turn in
  • Informal
27 3.5

To go to bed to sleep

To change direction or the way things are going, often suddenly

26 3.2

To quickly show a feeling or quality to get a result

Make a situation more urgent to force someone to act

to turn over
  • Specialized
24 3.4

Sell goods or services worth a total amount in a period

20 3.9

Choosing the wrong direction or decision causes trouble

20 4.1

To depend on something

To earn more money than you spend running a business or project

18 1.2

Become red in the face because you feel embarrassed, shy, or angry

Be patient and let others go before you until it is your turn

17 2.0

To stop someone from going forward or entering

17 3.5

To produce many things quickly, often using machines

To refuse to have anything to do with someone or something

To be proved correct after checking

11 2.6

To make the inside face outwards

to turn out
  • Informal
10 4.9

To make someone leave a place

Make the sound from a radio, TV, or speaker louder

Move on to the next page or to a new part of your life after a difficult time

to turn to shit
  • Offensive
9 9.9

To go very badly and fail completely

8 3.7

To give a performance or result in a contest

to turn on
  • NSFW
8 9.8

To take drugs so you feel high

8 5.1

To become violent or angry suddenly

To be completely ruined and lose all value

7 7.0

To run away quickly because you are afraid

to turn heads
  • Informal
7 4.4

To attract a lot of attention because of how you look or what you wear

7 3.1

To move off a road into a driveway or side road

6 3.6

Begin to fall after rising or staying steady

5 3.4

Dig and loosen soil to prepare it for planting

5 2.3

To get out of bed, usually early in the morning

4 4.1

Think carefully about something before deciding

Turn a car or other vehicle left at an intersection

4 3.0

To move legs or feet outward from the hips

To make a room or car warm by switching on a machine that warms it

3 3.2

Become very white in the face when you feel shocked, afraid, or sick

Become very successful and make a lot of money

Speak when it is not your turn, often in a class or meeting

1 1.4

Move your body so you face the opposite direction

To try to make someone change what they do by making them feel more stress

1 7.1

Completely change what people think about something

Make people notice you because they admire or are surprised by you

1 6.2

Make simple food into a large special meal with many dishes

To become cloudy and white like milk

1 3.4

To dress someone in special clothes for an event

Compounds

A period of years around the start of a new century, about ten years before and after

A sudden change in a situation that makes plans or results different

turn-on
  • NSFW
14 8.2

Something that makes someone feel sexually excited or attracted

14 1.0

Moving a vehicle to the left while driving

A clever way of saying something that people remember

7 2.5

A flashing light on a vehicle that shows which way the driver will turn or change lanes

turn-off
  • Informal
5 5.0

Something that makes a person lose interest or feel dislike

5 2.2

An act of kindness done to help someone

left turn
  • Literature
2 5.8

Changing policies or views toward more left-wing ideas

star turn
  • Literature
2 6.4

A very good performance by an actor or entertainer that gets special attention

A driving move that turns a car around in a small space

about turn
  • Jargon
1 5.8

A complete change of direction or opinion, often sudden

1 8.2

A skiing move where you lift one ski and turn to go the other way while standing

1 2.3

A blinking light on a car that shows which way it will turn

A large number of people who come to an event

ampere-turn
  • Specialized
7.3

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

A sudden change of plans, policy, or behaviour

9.9

A change to a more negative view of people as selfish and violent

8.1

An action meant to help that causes harm or trouble

9.9

A clever but tricky argument meant to confuse people

stem turn
  • Jargon
8.2

A skiing turn where you push the tail of one ski out to slow and change direction

A special way of saying something when speaking or writing

3.2

A complete turn to go the opposite way, like a car on the road

How Spoiled

rot
24 1.6
to spoil
30 1.6
to turn
433 4.6
to sour
12 3.4

Surface Forms

turn infinitive
turned past
turned past participle
turning present participle
turns third person singular

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.