Phrase guide

turn over

verb · 19 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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1

verb

Meaning 1

To flip over; to rotate uppermost to bottom.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

Examples

  • Turn over the box and look at the bottom.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

verb

Meaning 2

To relinquish; give back.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: idiomatic, transitive

Examples

  • They turned over the evidence to the authorities.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

verb

Meaning 3

To transfer.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: idiomatic, transitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

verb

Meaning 4

To produce, complete, or cycle through.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: idiomatic, transitive

Examples

  • They can turn over about three hundred units per hour.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

verb

Meaning 5

To generate (a certain amount of money from sales).

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

Topics: business

Examples

  • The business turned over several million last year.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

verb

Meaning 6

To mull, ponder

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

7

verb

Meaning 7

To spin the crankshaft of an internal combustion engine using the starter or hand crank in an attempt to make it run.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: intransitive, transitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

8

verb

Meaning 8

To give up control (of the ball and thus the ability to score).

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

Topics: hobbies, lifestyle, sports

Examples

  • The Giants didn't turn the ball over in their last four games.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

9

verb

Meaning 9

To cause extensive disturbance or disruption to (a room, storage place, etc.), e.g. while searching for an item, or ransacking a property.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

Examples

  • I've turned over the whole place, but I still can't find my glasses.
  • Thieves turned over the apartment while the owners were away on holiday.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

10

verb

Meaning 10

Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see turn, over.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

11

verb

Meaning 11

think about carefully; weigh

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • They considered the possibility of a strike
  • Turn the proposal over in your mind

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: consider, debate, moot, deliberate

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: hash out, discuss, talk over

Narrower terms: see, premeditate, debate, wrestle, think twice

12

verb

Meaning 12

turn upside down, or throw so as to reverse

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • flip over the pork chop
  • turn over the pancakes

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: flip, flip over

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: turn

13

verb

Meaning 13

turn up, loosen, or remove earth

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • Dig we must
  • turn over the soil for aeration

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: dig, delve, cut into

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: remove, take, take away, withdraw

Narrower terms: furrow, rut, groove, rout, root, rootle, spade, shovel, trowel, burrow, tunnel

14

verb

Meaning 14

move by turning over or rotating

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • The child rolled down the hill
  • turn over on your left side

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: roll

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: turn

Narrower terms: rim

15

verb

Meaning 15

turn from an upright or normal position

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • The big vase overturned
  • The canoe tumped over

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: overturn, tip over, tump over

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: turn

Narrower terms: capsize, turtle, turn turtle, upend

16

verb

Meaning 16

cause to overturn from an upright or normal position

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • The cat knocked over the flower vase
  • the clumsy customer turned over the vase
  • he tumped over his beer

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: overturn, tip over, upset, knock over, bowl over, tump over

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: move, displace

17

verb

Meaning 17

cause to move around a center so as to show another side of

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • turn a page of a book

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: turn

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: move, displace

Narrower terms: evert, leaf

18

verb

Meaning 18

place into the hands or custody of

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • hand me the spoon, please
  • Turn the files over to me, please
  • He turned over the prisoner to his lawyers

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: pass, hand, reach, pass on, give

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: transfer

Narrower terms: give, slip, sneak, deal, hand over, fork over, fork out, fork up, turn in, deliver, render, release, relinquish, resign, free, give up, entrust, intrust, trust, confide, commit, leave

19

verb

Meaning 19

do business worth a certain amount of money

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • The company turns over ten million dollars a year

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: transact

History

Etymology

From turn + over.

Across languages

Translations

38 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Alabama: ɬipìili — to flip over
  • Arabic: قَلَبَ (qalaba) — to flip over
  • Armenian: շրջել (šrǰel) — to flip over
  • Assamese: লুটিওৱা (lutiüa) — to flip over
  • Chinese Mandarin: 翻過 /翻过 (fānguò) — to flip over
  • Chinese Mandarin: 翻轉 /翻转 (fānzhuǎn) — to flip over
  • Esperanto: renversi — to flip over
  • Finnish: kääntää ympäri — to flip over
  • French: retourner — to flip over
  • French: renverser — to flip over
  • German: umdrehen — to flip over
  • Ancient Greek: ἀναστρέφω (anastréphō) — to flip over
  • Italian: ribaltare — to flip over
  • Italian: capovolgere — to flip over
  • Japanese: 裏返す (uragaesu) — to flip over
  • Japanese: ひっくり返す — to flip over
  • Ladin: drusé — to flip over
  • Lithuanian: apversti — to flip over
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: venda — to flip over
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: snu — to flip over
  • Polish: odwracać — to flip over
  • Polish: odwrócić — to flip over
  • Portuguese: inverter — to flip over
  • Quechua: t'ikray — to flip over
  • Russian: перевора́чивать (perevoráčivatʹ) — to flip over
  • Russian: переверну́ть (perevernútʹ) — to flip over
  • Russian: перевора́чиваться (perevoráčivatʹsja) — to flip over
  • Russian: переверну́ться (perevernútʹsja) — to flip over
  • Finnish: luovuttaa — to relinquish
  • Italian: restituire — to relinquish
  • Italian: consegnare — to relinquish
  • Finnish: tuottaa — to produce
  • Finnish: pohtia — to ponder
  • Finnish: pyörittää — to ponder
  • Finnish: pyöritellä — to ponder
  • Finnish: pyörittää — to spin the crankshaft
  • Russian: заводить (zavoditʹ) — to spin the crankshaft
  • Finnish: luovuttaa — sports: to give up control