turn against

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
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.
The opportunity now is to apply those principles with enough care that our defenses protect the enterprise without turning against it. Abhik Biswas, Forbes.com, 2 July 2026 At the same time, other company leaders are turning against the tech. Joe Wilkins, Futurism, 1 July 2026 The math turns against you the moment a balance lingers, though. Angelica Leicht, CBS News, 29 June 2026 People around the world in recent years have turned against all kinds of institutions, not just higher education. Rose Horowitch, The Atlantic, 27 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for turn against

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Turn against.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/turn%20against. Accessed 6 Jul. 2026.

More from Merriam-Webster on turn against

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster