turn of events

noun phrase

: a change in what is happening
There has been a dramatic turn of events.

Examples of turn of events 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 Mets were sellers from the cellar of the National League East at this year’s trade deadline, a once-inconceivable turn of events whose inevitability eroded its surprise. — Tim Britton, New York Times, 4 Aug. 2026 Training a Local Fiber Crew Then, in a turn of events that rocked the communities, lead engineer Dirk MacLeod had a heart attack and died in July 2019. — IEEE Spectrum, 30 July 2026 This current turn of events was born when Clark was invited to participate in the BBC Proms classical/pops crossover program, as captured on the new album, which was initially put out only on streaming and just had a vinyl edition come out in July. — Chris Willman, Variety, 29 July 2026 The statement is a remarkable turn of events that would relitigate a criminal case that never went to trial. — David Zimmermann, The Washington Examiner, 27 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for turn of events

Rhymes for turn of events

See All Rhymes for turn of events

Browse Nearby Words

turn of a hair
turn of events
turnoff
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Turn of events.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/turn%20of%20events. Accessed 13 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 salvo

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Words of the Week - Aug. 14

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List
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
fridge-magnet-letters
Drop a Letter Quiz August 2026 Drop a letter from a word to make a totally diffe...
See All