turn against

phrasal verb

turned against; turning against; turns against

: to stop supporting or being friendly to (someone or something)

The senator eventually turned against the war.

She turned against her best friend.

: to cause (someone) to stop being friendly toward (someone)

He tried to turn our friends against us.

: to use (something) in a way that harms or discredits (someone)

Her political opponent tried to turn her many years of experience in Washington against her.

Examples of turn against in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

By Jamie Ducharme January 28, 2025 2:00 PM EST The tide has largely turned against alcohol. —

Jamie Ducharme, TIME, 28 Jan. 2025 Soon, though, the authorities turned against Fang Fang, censoring her posts and banning her from publishing. —

John Ruwitch, NPR, 24 Jan. 2025 Trump's executive order could be turned against the United States. —

Anna Lagos, WIRED, 24 Jan. 2025 Trump also recently turned against Pompeo, publicly stating that his former secretary of state would have no role in his second administration, despite Pompeo largely continuing to align himself with his former boss. —

Rachel Raposas, People.com, 23 Jan. 2025 See all Example Sentences for turn against