To become hostile or disloyal toward someone or something one previously supported or liked.
To change from being on someone's side to being against them.
3 meanings, ordered from most common to least. Color-coded by CEFR level.
To become hostile, opposed to, or disloyal toward someone or something one previously supported.
"After the scandal, many of his closest supporters turned against him."
Et tu, Brute?
— William Shakespeare, Julius Caesar, Act 3, Scene 1
To cause someone to become hostile or opposed to another person or thing.
"The negative media coverage turned the public against the new policy."
(of something abstract, such as circumstances or one's own body) To work against someone's interests.
"His own immune system had turned against him."
To rotate so as to face and oppose something.
To change from being on someone's side to being against them.
Can be used reflexively ('turn against oneself') to describe self-destructive thinking. The subject can be a person, an institution, or even abstract forces. It always implies a change of attitude from neutral or positive to negative.
Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.
The five tense forms you'll use most often.
Listen to native speakers using "turn against" in real YouTube videos — click a clip to watch it on Looplines.
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