turning away

verb

present participle of turn away
as in turning back
to drive back using tree branches, the campers were able to turn away the charging fox, which was apparently rabid

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of turning away At present, prison abolitionists have demanded new conditions for addressing racial capital, turning away from the brutal system of punitive measures to a framework of racial repair. — Literary Hub, 27 July 2026 Some are even turning away from other top-tier brands due to lack of transparency. — Paige Reddinger, Robb Report, 26 July 2026 Many political scientists attribute the narrowing of the gender gap in religiosity to more young women turning away from religion rather than more young men turning toward it. — Chantelle Lee, Time, 9 July 2026 The ball in the net, the goalkeeper reacting, fans erupting in the background, and Messi already turning away with his arms raised. — Dominick Williams, Kansas City Star, 3 July 2026 The photos, plain and anonymous, feature a woman in a white dress, her head cropped out of the photo and a girl in pink, heavily blurred, turning away from the camera to reveal a braid garnished with a delicate bow. — Lauren Fichten, CBS News, 25 June 2026 Fracturing politics So far, Britain’s increasingly fractured political landscape has benefited Reform UK, as people have felt increasingly confident turning away from the country’s two major parties – Labour and the Conservatives. — Katie Marie Davies, Christian Science Monitor, 18 June 2026 Officers doubled over coughing after turning away from the smoke. — ABC News, 18 June 2026 The Congolese defense was steely against the Portugal attack, turning away entry after entry into the box. — Chris Branch, New York Times, 17 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for turning away
  1. turning back
  2. repulsing
  3. repelling
  4. resisting
  5. beating off
Verb
  • Exhausted after turning back a Spain barrage in a scoreless draw to start this tournament, Vozinha released tears as memorable as Messi’s.
    — Jerry Brewer, New York Times, 20 July 2026
  • The front-9 and the beginning of the back-9 holes play mostly away from the coastline, but play moves back towards the Moray Firth on the par-4 13th, hugging the waterline for the 14th, 15th, and 16th holes before turning back towards the clubhouse.
    — Zach Schenfisch, Forbes.com, 20 July 2026
Definition of turning back
Verb
  • While there are dismemberments and other bits of gruesome violence to be found in the film, Badlands is largely aimed at endearing its audience rather than repulsing them.
    — Richard Lawson, HollywoodReporter, 4 Nov. 2025
Definition of repulsing
Verb
  • The meager platoon was a consolation from Lord Borros, who claims to be too busy repelling the Dornish to come to his queen’s aid.
    — Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 27 July 2026
  • We Baltimoreans treasure the role the 1814 battle played in repelling the mighty British forces, which were forced to abandon their siege of Fort McHenry.
    — Michel A. Ibrahim, Baltimore Sun, 25 July 2026
Definition of repelling
Verb
  • Also on Wednesday, Saudi Arabia struck Iranian proxies in Iraq, after months of resisting being pulled into the conflict.
    — Salma Arafa, CNN Money, 30 July 2026
  • Scott Lauck, a spokesperson for the office, said in an email Thursday that one of the juveniles was charged with two counts of misdemeanor assault, while the other was charged with one count of resisting arrest, also a misdemeanor.
    — Nathan Pilling July 30, Kansas City Star, 30 July 2026
Definition of resisting
Verb
  • Liverpool are keen for the 21-year-old to gain regular senior experience with Hartberg beating off competition from a number of clubs in Switzerland and France.
    — James Pearce, New York Times, 20 July 2026
  • The dogs had driven the woman into the surf before a tourist came to her rescue, beating off the dingoes.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 28 Jan. 2026
Definition of beating off

Browse Nearby Words

turning around
turning away
turning back
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Turning away.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/turning%20away. Accessed 4 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of élan

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

'Sneaked' or 'Snuck': Which is correct?

Why does English have so many silent letters?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Dutch Treat and French Leave: Eight Place-Based Compounds

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

How long is a jiffy?

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Dutch Treat and French Leave: Eight Place-Based Compounds

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
asap street sign
Figure Out These Acronyms ASAP You don't have to be a NASA engineer to get these...
See All