Akademik

turn back
verb
1. retrace one's course (Freq. 7)
-

The hikers got into a storm and had to turn back

Syn: ↑backtrack, ↑double back
Hypernyms: ↑return
Verb Frames:
-

Something ——s

-

Somebody ——s

2. go back to a previous state (Freq. 4)
-

We reverted to the old rules

Syn: ↑revert, ↑return, ↑retrovert, ↑regress
Derivationally related forms:
regress (for: ↑regress), ↑regression (for: ↑regress), ↑retroversion (for: ↑retrovert), ↑return (for: ↑return), ↑reversive (for: ↑revert), ↑reversion (for: ↑revert), ↑reverting (for: ↑revert)
Hypernyms: ↑change by reversal, ↑turn, ↑reverse
Hyponyms:
relapse, ↑lapse, ↑recidivate, ↑regress, ↑retrogress, ↑fall back, ↑resile, ↑recover, ↑go back, ↑recuperate
Verb Frames:
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Something ——s

-

Somebody ——s

-

Something is ——ing PP

-

Somebody ——s PP

3. force to go away; used both with concrete and metaphoric meanings (Freq. 1)
-

Drive away potential burglars

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drive away bad thoughts

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dispel doubts

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The supermarket had to turn back many disappointed customers

Syn: ↑chase away, ↑drive out, ↑drive away, ↑dispel, ↑drive off, ↑run off
Hypernyms: ↑move, ↑displace
Hyponyms:
frighten, ↑fire, ↑clear the air, ↑banish, ↑shoo off, ↑shoo, ↑shoo away
Verb Group: ↑rout out, ↑drive out, ↑force out, ↑rouse
Verb Frames:
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Somebody ——s something

-

Somebody ——s somebody

-

Something ——s somebody

4. hold back, as of a danger or an enemy; check the expansion or influence of (Freq. 1)
-

Arrest the downward trend

-

Check the growth of communism in South East Asia

-

Contain the rebel movement

-

Turn back the tide of communism

Syn: ↑check, ↑arrest, ↑stop, ↑contain, ↑hold back
Derivationally related forms: ↑containment (for: ↑contain), ↑stop (for: ↑stop)
Hypernyms: ↑defend
Hyponyms: ↑cut down, ↑cut out
Verb Frames:
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Somebody ——s something

-

Somebody ——s somebody

-

Something ——s somebody

-

Something ——s something

5. turn inside out or upside down
Syn: ↑invert, ↑reverse
Derivationally related forms: ↑reversible (for: ↑reverse), ↑reverse (for: ↑reverse), ↑reversal (for: ↑reverse), ↑inversion (for: ↑invert), ↑inverter (for: ↑invert)
Hypernyms: ↑change, ↑alter, ↑modify
Verb Frames:
-

Somebody ——s something

-

Something ——s something

* * *

turn back (or turn someone/something back)
go (or cause to go) back in the direction in which one has come

they turned back before reaching the church

* * *

turn back [phrasal verb]
1 a : to move in the opposite direction in order to return to a place

The sun is setting. It's time to turn back.

It's too late to turn back. We have to keep going.

1 b : to return to an earlier place or time

Turn back to the first page.

Once you start the process, there's no turning back. [=you must continue the process]

2 turn back (someone or something) or turn (someone or something) back
2 a : to force (someone or something) to move in an opposite direction

They fought to turn back the enemy.

If I could turn back (the hands of) time [=return to a condition that existed in the past], I would.

2 b : to force (someone or something) to return to a place

The refugees were turned back at the border.

• • •
Main Entry:turn

* * *

ˌturn ˈback | ˌturn sb/sthˈback derived
to return the way you have come; to make sb/sth do this

The weather became so bad that they had to turn back.

(figurative)

We said we would do it— there can be no turning back.

Our car was turned back at the border.

Main entry:turnderived

Useful english dictionary. 2012.