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🔎 To happen 👥 To gather 💡 To switch off 🏭 To produce 🚪 To expel ⏰ To get up 🩰 To rotate outward 👗 To dress up
to turn out

to turn out

36 2.7
To switch off a light or machine
  • phrasal verb
  • /tɜrn aʊt/
  • UK
translation icon : apagar
  • Honey, turn out the light in the bathroom, would you?
  • turn out the lights

So when my kids didn't cooperate really well and didn't turn out the lights, I didn't make the bed.

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Examples

  • Nick got up from his desk and turned out the lights in his office.

    Fiction book (1993)

  • Quick, turn out the lights!

    The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie (2024)

  • Help me and turn out the light.

  • Once the food was all put away, I turned out the kitchen light.

    Fiction book (1990)

  • Five minutes later, she turned out the lights and got into bed.

    Fiction book (1993)

  • Will the last person to leave the planet turn out the lights?

    Fiction book (1996)

  • Then I'd like you to go into the living room, turn out the lights, and wait for me.

    Fiction book (1994)

  • Well, don't forget to turn out the light before you come to bed.

    Playing by Heart (1998)

  • But she can't concentrate, it seems, so she puts the book away and turns out the light.

    Fiction book (1996)

  • Honey, please turn out the light in the bathroom before we go to sleep.

Synonyms

to turn off
vsto turn out
631 1.3

To stop a machine or device from working with a switch

is specifically done by disengaging a switch to stop operation
to shut down
vsto turn out
541 2.9

Stop a machine, business, or system from working

is about stopping by switching off a device rather than full system closure
to disconnect
vsto turn out
161 3.5

To separate something so it is no longer joined, for example remove a cable or turn off power

refers specifically to stopping by disengaging a switch rather than general separation
to shut off
vsto turn out
83 2.6

Stop something from working by using a switch or valve

is narrower, meaning to stop by turning a switch off rather than a valve
to deactivate
vsto turn out
63 3.9

To make a device, system, or account stop working

is the specific physical act of cutting power with a switch
to switch off
vsto turn out
37 1.1

To stop a machine or light by using a control such as a button

focuses on the exact act of disengaging a switch to cut power
to turn off the light
vsto turn out
37 1.0

To switch a light so it stops shining

is the same idea but applies to devices and machines generally
to unplug
vsto turn out
28 2.6

To take a plug out of a wall socket so an electric device stops getting power

stops devices by turning a switch off rather than removing cables
to de-energize
vsto turn out
  • Specialized
6.7

To make equipment safe by turning off its power

is the everyday act of stopping devices specifically by flipping a switch

Antonyms

to turn on
550 1.0

To make a machine or device start working

to switch on
32 1.6

To make a device like a light start working by pressing a button or moving a switch

How Powered

to turn on
550 1.0
to charge up
4 3.5
to turn out
  • UK
36 2.7
to shut down
541 2.9

Surface Forms

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

Morphology

turn + out

The dressing sense is only partially derivable from the constituents: 'turn' (change) + 'out' (outward) can be linked to altering outward appearance, but the specific meaning 'dress/equip someone' depends on knowing the phrasal-verb usage rather than pure composition. Because 'turn out' has several unrelated senses and the connection to clothing is metaphorical and not fully predictable, a B1 learner who only knows the words may not reliably infer this meaning.

Etymology

Turn out probably comes from turning a switch or candle so the light goes out, the simple image of making a light stop shining. So it means 'to switch off' a light or device.