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Definition 2024


turn_away

turn away

English

Verb

turn away (third-person singular simple present turns away, present participle turning away, simple past and past participle turned away)

  1. (intransitive) to rotate the body or head so as not to face someone or something
    • Thereat the Elfe did blush in priuitee, / And turnd his face away; but she the same / Dissembled faire, and faynd to ouersee.
    • 2012 May 5, Phil McNulty, “Chelsea 2-1 Liverpool”, in BBC Sport:
      He met Luis Suarez's cross at the far post, only for Chelsea keeper Petr Cech to show brilliant reflexes to deflect his header on to the bar. Carroll turned away to lead Liverpool's insistent protests that the ball had crossed the line but referee Phil Dowd and assistant referee Andrew Garratt waved play on, with even a succession of replays proving inconclusive.
  2. (intransitive) to bend or turn from a fixed course
  3. (transitive) to refuse to admit someone
  4. (transitive) to avert or deflect something
    to turn away disaster
  5. (transitive, dated) to dismiss from service
    to turn away a servant

Translations