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.
And in wartime, the necessary work can only be done by people inside the establishment turning against the establishment. — Sachin H. Jain, Forbes.com, 31 July 2026 The wise and formidable warlord Murashige Araki (Masahiro Motoki), a former ally of Oda’s, has made the shocking, seemingly suicidal decision to turn against him. — Justin Chang, New Yorker, 30 July 2026 Brad Pitt’s children, particularly the four who have taken legal steps to drop his last name from their own, would apparently like it to be known that they were not gaslit by their mother Angelina Jolie into turning against him. — Martha Ross, Mercury News, 23 July 2026 The big question is whether enough rural voters will turn against Abbott to give Hinojosa a shot. — Marc Levy, Los Angeles Times, 23 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for turn against

Rhymes for turn against

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Browse Nearby Words

turn a deaf ear
turn against
turn a hair
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Turn against.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/turn%20against. Accessed 5 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on turn against

Nglish: Translation of turn against for Spanish Speakers

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