turn against
phrasal verb
turned against; turning against; turns against
1
: to stop supporting or being friendly to (someone or something)
The senator eventually turned against the war.
She turned against her best friend.
2
: to cause (someone) to stop being friendly toward (someone)
He tried to turn our friends against us.
3
: to use (something) in a way that harms or discredits (someone)
Her political opponent tried to turn her many years of experience in Washington against her.
Examples of turn against in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Their work helps explain why colonies sometimes turn against their monarch and offers clues on how to prevent it.
—
Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 27 Oct. 2025
Experts warn that while a full-scale invasion is unlikely, the deployment is designed to pressure Venezuela’s military and elite into turning against Maduro.
—Amanda Castro, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 Oct. 2025
But there’s a dark side to this turn against the suddenly middle-aged, passé millennial generation.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 21 Oct. 2025
Again and again the mobster’s own words were turned against them.
—George Anastasia, The Conversation, 20 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for turn against
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 27 Oct. 2025
Experts warn that while a full-scale invasion is unlikely, the deployment is designed to pressure Venezuela’s military and elite into turning against Maduro.
—Amanda Castro, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 Oct. 2025
But there’s a dark side to this turn against the suddenly middle-aged, passé millennial generation.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 21 Oct. 2025
Again and again the mobster’s own words were turned against them.
—George Anastasia, The Conversation, 20 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for turn against
Cite this Entry
“Turn against.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/turn%20against. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share