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Glite Dictionary
to turn the page

to turn the page

9 3.7
Move on to the next page or to a new part of your life after a difficult time
  • phrasal verb
translation icon : pasar página
  • After a difficult breakup, she knew it was time to turn the page and start fresh.
  • want to turn the page
  • time to turn the page
  • just turn the page

That's how we'll keep moving forward, That's how we'll turn the page on Donald Trump.

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Examples

  • And it somewhat felt like we were now able to turn the page to a new chapter, a new beginning.

  • January 1, he said, is a chance to turn the page and start anew.

    Blog text (7)

  • I have never had any trouble turning the page in the book of my life.

  • When you read a book, you know you turn the page to get to the next part of the story.

    Blog text (18)

  • But today, the time has come to turn the page.

    Blog text (22)

  • And now it's possible for Kim to turn the page on a tragic incident and look forward to the future.

  • The future will be of our own making, so let's turn the page and see what's ahead.

    Blog text (2)

  • You turn the page, anxious to find out what she'll do next.

    Academic text (2011)

  • Time to turn the page in the playbook and try something else.

    Blog text (28)

  • You turn the page because you can't wait to see what Sully will say next.

    Academic text (2011)

Synonyms

to move on
vsto turn the page
670 3.1

To start the next stage or activity and stop focusing on the past

is also used for literal next stages like reading or tasks
to move on to
vsto turn the page
264 2.3

To begin talking about a different topic or activity

is broader, also used for emotional leaving or literal stage changes
to turn over the page
vsto turn the page
1.8

Flip a page in a book or magazine to read the next one

is often used figuratively to mean leaving a past event behind

Antonyms

to linger
207 3.7

To stay in a place longer than expected because you do not want to leave

to live in the past
19 6.4

To keep thinking about the past and miss what is happening now

How Ready

to start over
283 2.5
to turn the page
9 3.7
to move on
670 3.1
to let go
381 3.7
to acknowledge
367 3.8

Surface Forms

turn the page infinitive

Morphology

turn + the + page

The literal sense 'to turn a page' is directly derivable from 'turn' + 'page', so a learner who knows the words will understand the physical meaning. The figurative sense 'move on to the next stage / leave the past behind' is a metaphorical extension (life/book metaphor) that is partially clear but not fully predictable without exposure, so comprehension is likely but not guaranteed for a B1 learner.

Etymology

The phrasal verb turn the page comes from the simple action of turning a real page, where you leave one page behind and begin the next. So the image of moving forward with a new page gave the phrase the meaning 'to move on' or 'to start again'.