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to turn

to turn

2 4.6
Go bad, especially food or drink
  • verb
  • /tɜrn/
: 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
142 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 ferment
vsto turn
  • Specialized
31 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 sour
vsto turn
23 3.4

Become bad in taste or become upset

focuses more narrowly on food or drink going bad rather than general failure
to go sour
vsto turn
19 4.1

To become bad or fail, for example a relationship

is used mainly for food or drink becoming unfit rather than failure
to spoil
vsto turn
17 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

Antonyms

2 3.2

To stop food from going bad so it lasts longer

Idioms

235 3.3

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

42 3.5

Again and again in every situation

Choose to ignore something wrong

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

Choose not to fight back after someone hurts or insults you

To begin to get better after a difficult time

Cause a big change that makes things much better

to turn to stone
  • Literature
18 7.7

Become completely still and look like stone when frightened

Completely change the usual idea about something

17 5.2

To go back to an earlier time or wish you could

Make people see something in a very different way

8 6.8

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

6 7.2

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

5 9.3

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

A change that makes a situation better

Refuse to listen to someone who gives advice or warnings

to turn a phrase
  • Informal
3 6.8

Say something in a clever, attractive way

2 9.9

To have sex with a customer for money

1 8.4

To start crying to make someone feel sorry for you

Show no sign of worry, fear, or surprise

Help someone stop being sad and start smiling

An event that makes a tense or difficult situation worse

To be good enough for a purpose for a short time

1 7.7

Exactly the right amount or degree needed

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

To make you feel sick or disgusted

To give one side an advantage in a situation

To make big positive changes in your life after hard times

to execute a U-turn
  • Literature
1 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

8.6

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

Change which person or group you support for your own benefit

Make something good from pain or a bad situation

9.9

To use swear words, often when angry

Make a situation end the way you want

To change a situation completely and suddenly

To show you think something is not good enough

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

A big mistake that changes your plans or life

Phrasal Verbs

∞ 3.4

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

∞ 2.2

To change into something different or make something change

900 2.0

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

816 1.3

To stop a machine or device from working with a switch

723 1.0

To make a machine or device start working

515 2.7

Face someone and speak to them

414 3.3

To give a person or thing to the police

392 3.2

Give a person or thing to someone else to look after

376 2.8

Go to someone or something for help

373 2.9

Refuse an offer, invitation, or request

365 3.2

To make someone or something better after a bad time

308 4.8

To suddenly become unfriendly or aggressive towards someone

290 2.0

To appear after being lost or when not expected

251 2.1

To go back to a previous place or state

to turn on
  • NSFW
185 7.2

To make someone feel excited or interested

178 2.3

Move your body so you do not face someone or something

177 3.8

To start opposing someone you once supported

147 2.7

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

118 2.6

Flip something so the other side faces up

111 3.5

People come to an event in large numbers

to turn off
  • Informal
104 4.4

To make someone feel strong dislike

Cause a big sudden change that leaves people confused

83 2.8

Refuse someone entry to a place or group

80 2.6

To make the inside face outwards

76 3.0

To find something while searching or by chance

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

To refuse to have anything to do with someone or something

To switch a light so it stops shining

47 2.7

To switch off a light or machine

35 3.5

To produce many things quickly, often using machines

To move your body so you can see someone or something

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

Make a situation more urgent to force someone to act

26 2.0

To stop someone from going forward or entering

to turn in
  • Informal
26 3.5

To go to bed to sleep

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

23 3.9

Choosing the wrong direction or decision causes trouble

to turn heads
  • Informal
22 4.4

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

20 3.2

To quickly show a feeling or quality to get a result

To be proved correct after checking

20 4.1

To depend on something

to turn out
  • Informal
18 4.9

To make someone leave a place

17 1.8

To leave a road and go onto another road

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

17 1.2

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

To be completely ruined and lose all value

13 3.7

To give a performance or result in a contest

11 3.0

To move legs or feet outward from the hips

11 5.1

To become violent or angry suddenly

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

to turn to shit
  • Offensive
10 9.9

To go very badly and fail completely

7 7.0

To run away quickly because you are afraid

6 2.8

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

Become very successful and make a lot of money

5 1.4

Move your body so you face the opposite direction

4 3.4

To dress someone in special clothes for an event

Turn a car or other vehicle left at an intersection

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

4 4.1

Think carefully about something before deciding

4 3.1

To move off a road into a driveway or side road

3 3.2

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

To put more pressure on someone so they do what you want

3 3.4

Dig and loosen soil to prepare it for planting

3 3.6

Begin to fall after rising or staying steady

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

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

To flip over so the bottom becomes the top, often about boats or cars

to turn over
  • Specialized
1 3.4

Sell goods or services worth a total amount in a period

To become very unpleasant and harmful in a relationship or group

1 6.2

Make simple food into a large special meal with many dishes

To show that you do not agree with or support something

Choose not to be involved with someone or something anymore

Become angry or excited in a discussion

Compounds

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

43 3.2

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

turn-on
  • NSFW
38 8.2

Something that makes someone feel sexually excited or attracted

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

30 1.0

Moving a vehicle to the left while driving

turn-off
  • Informal
13 5.0

Something that makes a person lose interest or feel dislike

10 2.5

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

A clever way of saying something that people remember

5 2.2

An act of kindness done to help someone

star turn
  • Literature
3 6.4

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

about turn
  • Jargon
1 5.8

A complete change of direction or opinion, often sudden

left turn
  • Literature
1 5.8

Changing policies or views toward more left-wing ideas

1 2.3

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

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

1 8.2

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

1 6.8

A driving move where the driver pulls the handbrake so the rear wheels slide and the car turns sharply

1 8.1

An action meant to help that causes harm or trouble

A special way of saying something when speaking or writing

stem turn
  • Jargon
1 8.2

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

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 sudden change of plans, policy, or behaviour

9.9

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

9.9

A clever but tricky argument meant to confuse people

How Spoiled

rot
35 1.6
to spoil
17 1.6
to turn
2 4.6
to sour
23 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.