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turn against

B1 neutral inseparable transitive
In simple words

To change from being on someone's side to being against them.

Literal meaning: To rotate so as to face and oppose something.

Meanings

1 B1 neutral

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
Grammar: inseparable
2 B1 neutral

To cause someone to become hostile or opposed to another person or thing.

"The negative media coverage turned the public against the new policy."

Grammar: inseparable
3 B2 idiomatic neutral

(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."

Grammar: inseparable
Usage notes

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.

Commonly used with

friend government leader opinion public ally

Forms

Base
turn against
I/you/we/they
3rd person
turns against
he/she/it
Past simple
turned against
yesterday
Past participle
turned against
have + pp
-ing form
turning against
continuous

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