turn against
phrasal 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
What shareholder wouldn’t demand the company justify its position as recent research and rulings are turning against DEI orthodoxy and other companies are dialing back their previous initiatives?
—
Pamela N. Danziger, Forbes, 1 Jan. 2025
The world would turn against North Korea immediately, and any qualms about escalation would be superseded by its offensive use of nuclear weapons.
—Robert E. Kelly, Foreign Affairs, 30 Dec. 2024
Under legislation passed in June 2023, the debt ceiling was suspended until the first quarter of 2025.
Republicans turned against the funding plan after a barrage of social media posts by Trump ally Elon Musk lambasting it throughout the day Wednesday.
—Kaia Hubbard, CBS News, 19 Dec. 2024
Because of so many scandals, public opinion turned against the building for some time, though it is now largely beloved.
—Michael Y. Park, Architectural Digest, 9 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for turn against 
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Pamela N. Danziger, Forbes, 1 Jan. 2025
The world would turn against North Korea immediately, and any qualms about escalation would be superseded by its offensive use of nuclear weapons.
—Robert E. Kelly, Foreign Affairs, 30 Dec. 2024
Under legislation passed in June 2023, the debt ceiling was suspended until the first quarter of 2025.
Republicans turned against the funding plan after a barrage of social media posts by Trump ally Elon Musk lambasting it throughout the day Wednesday.
—Kaia Hubbard, CBS News, 19 Dec. 2024
Because of so many scandals, public opinion turned against the building for some time, though it is now largely beloved.
—Michael Y. Park, Architectural Digest, 9 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for turn against
Dictionary Entries Near turn against
Cite this Entry
“Turn against.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/turn%20against. Accessed 9 Jan. 2025.
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