turn
[+wheel, handle] tour m
to give sth a turn [+wheel, handle] tourner qch
(=change in direction)
to make a turn, to do a turn
[driver, vehicle] tourner
Make a right turn after the lights. Tournez à droite après le feu.
You can't do a right-hand turn here. On ne peut pas tourner à droite ici.
"No left turn" "Défense de tourner à gauche"
(=bend in road) virage m
→ There's a turn in the road, and then you'll see a pub on the left.
a sharp turn in the road un brusque virage sur la route
a windy road with many twists and turns une route battue par les vents et pleine de tournants
(=change) tournure f
→ the latest turn in the fighting
turn of events tournure f (des événements)
This was an unexpected turn of events. Les choses ont pris une tournure inattendue.
→ They were horrified at this unexpected turn of events
They are not happy about this turn of events. Ils ne sont pas contents de la tournure que cela prend.
to take a turn for the worse
[situation, events] empirer, se détériorer
→ In that year things took a sharp turn for the worse.
He has taken a turn for the worse. Son état s'est aggravé.
to take a turn for the better
[situation] s'améliorer
[events] prendre une meilleure tournure
He has taken a turn for the better. Son état s'est amélioré.
to be on the turn
[luck, fortune] être en train de tourner
(in time)
at the turn of the century à la fin du siècle
→ They fled to South America around the turn of the century.
at the turn of the year à la fin de l'année
at every turn
(=all the time) à tout moment
→ Its operations were hampered at every turn.
(in series, game, queue)
tour m
It's my turn! C'est mon tour!, C'est à moi!
It's your turn. C'est votre tour., C'est à vous.
it's my turn to ... c'est à mon tour de ...
Tonight it's my turn to cook. Ce soir c'est à moi de faire la cuisine., Ce soir c'est mon tour de faire la cuisine.
to wait one's turn attendre son tour
→ He stood in the queue waiting his turn.
whose turn is it? (in game)
c'est à qui de jouer?
(in queue)
c'est à qui le tour?
to take turns, to take it in turns se relayer
→ They took turns at the typewriter.
to take turns at doing sth faire qch à tour de rôle
to take it in turns to do sth faire qch à tour de rôle
to do sth in turn faire qch à tour de rôle
→ She went round the ward, talking to each woman in turn.
The women spoke in turn. Les femmes ont parlé à tour de rôle.
to speak out of turn parler mal à propos
→ I hope I haven't spoken out of turn
in turn (adv)
(=then) à son tour
... he, in turn, told the press. ... qui, à son tour, informa la presse.
→ they in turn got it from a hospital in Leeds
→ ... which in turn means that ...
by turns (adv)
(=alternately) tour à tour
His tone was by turns angry and aggrieved. Son ton était tour à tour irrité et contrarié.
(=performance) numéro m
→ a comedy turn
(British)
*
(=period of illness) crise f , attaque f
→ Mrs Reilly is having one of her turns.
He gets funny turns. Il a des crises.
(=shock) coup m
to give sb a turn donner un coup à qn
It gave me quite a turn. Ça m'a donné un coup.
→ It gave me quite a turn to see him again.
(=action)
a good turn un service
to do sb a good turn bien rendre service à qn
→ I did him a good turn.
one good turn deserves another (proverb)
un service en vaut un autre
turn of mind
(=way of thinking) nature f
→ She was of a rational turn of mind
vt
(=move round)
[person]
[+wheel, handle, knob, key] tourner
He turned the handle and pushed open the door. Il tourna la poignée et ouvrit la porte.
Turn the heat to very low and cook for 20 minutes. Mettre à faible température et faire cuire pendant 20 minutes.
The engine turned the propeller. Le moteur faisait tourner l'hélice.
(=flip)
[+steak, mattress] retourner
[+disc, record] changer de face
Turn the cake the right way up on to a wire rack. Retournez le gâteau du bon côté sur une grille.
(=change direction of)
[+chair, picture, back, face, head] tourner
She turned the bedside chair to face the door. Elle tourna la chaise du lit vers la porte.
He turned his head left and right. Il tourna la tête de gauche à droite.
(=direct)
[+gun, hose, searchlight] diriger
[+attention, thoughts] concentrer
He turned the gun on me. Il dirigea l'arme vers moi.
They turned their telescopes towards other nearby galaxies. Ils dirigèrent leurs télescopes vers d'autres galaxies proches.
We turned our attention to practical matters. Nous avons concentré notre attention sur des considérations pratiques.
(=transform)
to turn sth into sth transformer qch en qch
→ the government's plans to turn the country into a one-party-state
→ We're going to turn this bedroom into an office.
→ He's turned a team of has-beens into serious contenders for the cup.
They plan to turn the playing fields into a carpark. Ils prévoient de transformer les terrains de jeu en parkings.
She turned a disaster into a triumph. Elle a transformé un désastre en triomphe.
He turned his dreams into reality. Il transformait ses rêves en réalités.
By kissing the frog she turned it into a prince. En donnant un baiser à la grenouille, elle la transforma en prince.
(=change colour, state)
to turn sth black rendre qch noir
→ She hit her thumb with a hammer and it turned the nail black.
→ Too much red wine can turn your teeth and lips black.
to turn sth white rendre qch blanc
→ The shock turned his hair white.
to turn sth green rendre qch vert
→ The contact lenses turned her eyes green.
to turn sth liquid rendre qch liquide, liquéfier
→ A few drops of this solution turns the mixture liquid.
to turn sth to sth transformer qch en qch
→ The sun had melted the ice, turning it to tepid water.
→ The fuel is heated and turned to vapour.
The witch turned him to stone. La sorcière l'a transformé en pierre.
[+page] tourner
→ She idly turned the pages of a magazine.
(=go round)
to turn the corner tourner au coin
→ And suddenly, as I turned a corner, I saw her
(=reach)
It's just turned midnight. Il est tout juste minuit.
We got there just before it turned two. Nous sommes arrivés là-bas juste avant deux heures.
He's just turned forty. Il vient d'avoir quarante ans.
I turn thirty next year. J'irai sur mes trente ans l'an prochain.
(=shape)
[+wood, metal] tourner
→ the joys of making a living from turning wood
→ finely-turned metal
(=make sour)
[+milk] faire tourner
(=do)
to turn a cartwheel faire la roue
to turn somersaults faire des culbutes
(=rotate)
[wheel, handle, knob, key] tourner
The cog wheels started to turn. Les roues dentées se mirent à tourner.
(=change direction)
[person, vehicle, road] tourner
→ You come over a bridge and turn sharply to the right.
→ Now turn right to follow West Ferry Road.
Turn right at the lights. Tournez à droite au feu.
He turned into a narrow street. Il tourna dans une rue étroite.
(=reverse direction)
[person, vehicle] faire demi-tour
[wind] tourner
He turned abruptly and walked away. Il se retourna brutalement et s'en alla.
the tide is turning (coming in)
la marée commence à monter
(going out)
la marée commence à descendre
(=look back)
[person] se tourner, se retourner
He turned to her and asked "What next?" Il se tourna vers elle et lui dit "Et puis quoi encore?"
(=change) changer
to turn into sth se changer en qch, se transformer en qch
The frog turned into a prince. La grenouille s'est transformée en prince.
The water turns into steam. L'eau se transforme en vapeur.
(=become) devenir
to turn red
[sky, object] devenir rouge
(=blush) rougir
to turn grey
[person, hair] blanchir
to turn green virer au vert
→ Her eyes have turned green with the contact lenses.
to turn blue virer au bleu
to turn nasty mal tourner
→ The bailiff thinks that things could turn nasty.
it's turned cold il a commencé à faire froid
the weather had turned warm il commençait à faire plus doux
(=go sour)
[milk] tourner → The milk had turned so we had to throw it out.
quarter turn
n quart m de tour
star turn
n (British)
(=person) vedette f
→ She's the star turn on this year's show.
three-point turn
n demi-tour m en trois manœuvres
▲
turn about
vi faire demi-tour
▲
turn against
vt
to turn against sb se retourner contre qn
→ Public opinion turned against Hearst.
to turn against sth se retourner contre qch
→ Workers may turn against reform
to turn sb against sb retourner qn contre qn
→ He tried to turn the children against her
▲
turn around , turn round
(face the other way)
[person] se retourner
→ I felt a tapping on my shoulder and turned around.
→ They kept turning round to smile at friends.
(=rotate)
[wheel, person] tourner
→ Turn round so that I can see the dress from every angle.
(=become successful again)
[business, economy] se rétablir
→ If the economy turned round, the PM's authority would increase
(=move to face the other way)
[+chair, body] tourner
→ Turn your upper body round so that your shoulders are facing to the side
to turn a car round, to turn a car around faire demi-tour (en voiture)
(=make successful again)
[+business, economy] remettre sur pied
→ Turning the company around won't be easy
▲
turn away
vi
(=look away) se détourner, tourner la tête
(=refuse entry to)
[+immigrants, spectator, customer, applicant, caller] refuser
→ The college has been forced to turn away 300 prospective students.
[+business] refuser
→ We're so busy, we're having to turn new business away.
▲
turn back
(=go back) revenir, faire demi-tour
We turned back. Nous avons fait demi-tour.
→ The snow started to fall, so we turned back.
→ It's getting dark, we'd better turn back.
(=change plans or decision) revenir dessus
The administration has endorsed the bill and can't turn back. L'administration a endossé la facture et ne peut pas revenir dessus.
vt
[+protesters, travellers] refouler
[+vehicle] faire faire demi-tour à
→ A lot of the cars were turned back at the border.
▲
turn down
vt
(=refuse)
[+offer, invitation] refuser, rejeter
→ I was invited to be foreman but I turned it down.
[+request] rejeter
[+person] refuser
He proposed to her but she turned him down. Il l'a demandé en mariage mais elle a refusé.
[+volume, heating, radio, TV] baisser
→ Turn the sound down.
→ He kept turning the central heating down.
Shall I turn the heating down? Je baisse le chauffage?
(=fold) rabattre
→ They turn down the duvet.
▲
turn in
*
(=go to bed) aller se coucher
→ Would you like some tea before you turn in?
(=face inwards)
[feet]
his feet turn in il a les pieds en dedans
(=give up to the police)
[+suspect] livrer à la police
to turn o.s. in se livrer à la police
→ You'll have to turn yourself in some time.
(=hand in)
[+work, assignment, report] remettre
(mainly US)
(=return)
[+library books] rapporter
▲
turn off
vi (from road)
tourner
→ You don't even turn off, you just go straight ahead.
→ Turn off at the sign to Walton.
(=put off, switch off)
[+light, radio, TV, computer, heating] éteindre
→ The light's a bit too harsh. You can turn it off.
[+electricity, water] fermer
[+engine] arrêter
→ He turned off the engine and sat, waiting.
Shall I turn the heating off? J'éteins le chauffage?
(=cause to lose interest) rebuter
→ Teaching off a blackboard is boring and undoubtedly turns people off
What turns teenagers off from science and technology? Pourquoi les adolescents ont aussi peu d'intérêt pour les sciences et la technologie?
*, sexually dégoûter
Aggressive men turn me off completely. Les hommes agressifs me dégoûtent.
▲
turn on
vt
(=put on, switch on)
[+light, radio, TV, computer, heating] allumer
→ She asked them why they hadn't turned the lights on.
[+engine] mettre en marche
→ Nothing happened when I tried to turn the engine on.
(=attack) (physically)
s'en prendre à , (verbally)
s'en prendre à
Demonstrators turned on police. Les manifestants s'en prirent à la police.
He turned on Pete and accused him of dealing in drugs. Il s'en prit à Pete et l'accusa de vendre de la drogue.
*
(=arouse sexually) exciter
→ The body that turns men on doesn't have to be perfect
▲
turn out
(=switch off)
[+light] éteindre
→ Turn the lights out.
[+gas] couper, éteindre
(=produce)
[person, company]
[+goods, novel] produire
[school]
[+good pupils] former
(=throw out)
[+lodger, tenant] expulser
→ Surely nobody would suggest turning him out of his house
(=remove contents from)
[+bag] vider
[+pockets] vider
→ Turn out your pockets.
(=remove)
[+contents] retirer
→ She turned out the contents of her handbag on the table.
to turn sth out of [+container, mould] sortir qch de
→ Turn the plants out of their pots.
→ Turn the ice cream out of the container
(=attend)
[spectators, fans, voters] venir
→ Voters turned out in extraordinary numbers for the election.
[troops] se rassembler
[doctor] venir
(=work out) se terminer
→ "It's not certain how it will turn out
to turn out well, to turn out fine s'arranger
I was positive things were going to turn out fine. J'étais sûr que les choses finiraient par s'arranger.
to turn out badly mal tourner
(=transpire)
to turn out to be se révéler être
→ The Marvins' house turned out to be an old converted barn.
The forecast turned out to be wrong. Le bulletin météo s'est révélé être faux.
It turned out to be a mistake. Il s'est révélé que c'était une erreur.
it turned out that ... il s'est révélé que ...
→ It turned out that I knew the person who got shot.
→ It turned out that he had nothing to do with it.
It turned out that she was right. Il s'est révélé qu'elle avait raison.
▲
turn over
[person] (in bed)
se retourner
→ I turned over and went to sleep.
[car] se retourner, faire un tonneau
→ The buggy turned over and Nancy was thrown out
(=switch TV channels) changer de chaîne
→ Whenever he's on TV, I turn over
[+object] retourner
→ I turned the saucer over to look at the markings underneath.
[+page] tourner
[+tape] changer de face
→ Did you turn over the tape?
(=hand over) remettre
→ He had refused to turn over funds that had belonged to Potter.
→ The lawyer turned over the release papers
▲
turn to
vt
[+page] aller à
Turn to page 15, please. Allez à la page 15.
(=direct attention to) passer à
→ After discussing the annual report, the board turned to the problem of recruitment.
→ Now I'd like to turn to the question of how we can prevent this.
We turn now to the sports news. Nous passons maintenant à la page sportive.
(=seek advice from) se tourner vers
→ For assistance, they turned to one of the city's most innovative museums
→ Who do you turn to when you feel unhappy?
→ Many people turn to their doctor for help in giving up smoking.
There was no one to turn to. Il n'y avait personne vers qui se tourner.
(=take up) se mettre à
They are turning to recycling in large numbers. Ils sont nombreux à se mettre à recycler.
▲
turn up
(=appear)
[person] apparaître
→ He turned up at rehearsal the next day looking awful.
She turned up half an hour late. Elle est apparue avec une demi-heure de retard.
(=come)
[person] venir
→ Some of these kids turn up without any books or writing materials.
→ I arranged to meet him at eight, but he didn't turn up.
[bus, taxi] venir
→ This is similar to waiting for a bus that never turns up.
Workmen often didn't turn up. Bien souvent, les ouvriers ne venaient pas.
[lost object] être retrouvé (e)
→ The missing book turned up three weeks later.
[+collar] remonter
→ She turned up her collar as the wind picked up.
(=increase)
[+sound, volume] mettre plus fort
→ I turned the volume up.
[+radio] monter le son de
Could you turn up the radio? Tu peux monter le son de la radio?
turn-off
n
* it's a real turn-off
(=makes you lose interest) (gen)
c'est vraiment rebutant
(sexually)
ça vous coupe carrément l'envie *
turn of phrase
n style m
to have a nice turn of phrase savoir tourner un propos
→ Her stories weren't bad, she had a nice turn of phrase
→ Schwarzkopf's distinctive turn of phrase
→ a dry sense of humour and witty turn of phrase
turn-on
n
* It's a turn-on. C'est excitant.
turn signal
n (US, in car) clignotant m
turn-up
n
(British, on trousers) revers m
*
(=surprise) sacrée surprise f *
That's a turn-up for the books! En voilà une surprise!, C'est une première!
→ They won! Well, that's a turn-up for the books.
U-turn
n
(lit) demi-tour m
→ Making a sharp U-turn, she headed back.
to do a U-turn (lit) faire demi-tour
→ You can't do a U-turn here.
(fig) revirement m , volte-face f inv
→ ... the government's U-turn on education.
to do a U-turn (fig) faire volte-face
→ the government has done a U-turn