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
In 2020, many Republicans turned against voting by mail at Trump's urging.
—
Jeremy Duda, Axios, 19 Sep. 2024
Sanada stars as Lord Yoshii Toranaga, a member of the ruling Council of Regents who must fight for his survival when the political tides turn against him.
—Joe Otterson, Variety, 16 Sep. 2024
Biden may have held on if the media and his own party hadn’t turned against him, but his dismissal has appeared to have improved the party’s chances in November.
—Ross O'Keefe, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 9 Aug. 2024
Spader is reprising his role as Ultron, a sentient being created by Tony Stark, aka Iron Man, to act as a defense program but that instead turned against humanity, as seen in the movie Avengers: Age of Ultron.
—Borys Kit, The Hollywood Reporter, 6 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for turn against 
Jeremy Duda, Axios, 19 Sep. 2024
Sanada stars as Lord Yoshii Toranaga, a member of the ruling Council of Regents who must fight for his survival when the political tides turn against him.
—Joe Otterson, Variety, 16 Sep. 2024
Biden may have held on if the media and his own party hadn’t turned against him, but his dismissal has appeared to have improved the party’s chances in November.
—Ross O'Keefe, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 9 Aug. 2024
Spader is reprising his role as Ultron, a sentient being created by Tony Stark, aka Iron Man, to act as a defense program but that instead turned against humanity, as seen in the movie Avengers: Age of Ultron.
—Borys Kit, The Hollywood Reporter, 6 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for turn against
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'turn against.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Turn against.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/turn%20against. Accessed 2 Oct. 2024.
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