turn back meaning and definition

TURN BACK verb

Definition of turn back (verb)

1. retrace one's course
   • "The hikers got into a storm and had to turn back"
   • synonyms: backtrack, double back
2. go back to a previous state
   • "We reverted to the old rules"
   • synonyms: regress, retrovert, return, revert
3. force to go away; used both with concrete and metaphoric meanings
   • "Drive away potential burglars"; "drive away bad thoughts"; "dispel doubts"; "The supermarket had to turn back many disappointed customers"
   • synonyms: chase away, dispel, drive away, drive off, drive out, run off
4. hold back, as of a danger or an enemy; check the expansion or influence of
   • "Arrest the downward trend"; "Check the growth of communism in South East Asia"; "Contain the rebel movement"; "Turn back the tide of communism"
   • synonyms: arrest, check, contain, hold back, stop
5. turn inside out or upside down
   • synonyms: invert, reverse