To take turns

To take turns
Turn Turn, n. 1. The act of turning; movement or motion about, or as if about, a center or axis; revolution; as, the turn of a wheel. [1913 Webster]

2. Change of direction, course, or tendency; different order, position, or aspect of affairs; alteration; vicissitude; as, the turn of the tide. [1913 Webster]

At length his complaint took a favorable turn. --Macaulay. [1913 Webster]

The turns and varieties of all passions. --Hooker. [1913 Webster]

Too well the turns of mortal chance I know. --Pope. [1913 Webster]

3. One of the successive portions of a course, or of a series of occurrences, reckoning from change to change; hence, a winding; a bend; a meander. [1913 Webster]

And all its [the river's] thousand turns disclose. Some fresher beauty varying round. --Byron. [1913 Webster]

4. A circuitous walk, or a walk to and fro, ending where it began; a short walk; a stroll. [1913 Webster]

Come, you and I must walk a turn together. --Shak. [1913 Webster]

I will take a turn in your garden. --Dryden. [1913 Webster]

5. Successive course; opportunity enjoyed by alternation with another or with others, or in due order; due chance; alternate or incidental occasion; appropriate time. ``Nobleness and bounty . . . had their turns in his [the king's] nature.'' [1913 Webster]

His turn will come to laugh at you again. --Denham. [1913 Webster]

Every one has a fair turn to be as great as he pleases. --Collier. [1913 Webster]

6. Incidental or opportune deed or office; occasional act of kindness or malice; as, to do one an ill turn. [1913 Webster]

Had I not done a friendes turn to thee? --Chaucer. [1913 Webster]

thanks are half lost when good turns are delayed. --Fairfax. [1913 Webster]

7. Convenience; occasion; purpose; exigence; as, this will not serve his turn. [1913 Webster]

I have enough to serve mine own turn. --Shak. [1913 Webster]

8. Form; cast; shape; manner; fashion; -- used in a literal or figurative sense; hence, form of expression; mode of signifying; as, the turn of thought; a man of a sprightly turn in conversation. [1913 Webster]

The turn of both his expressions and thoughts is unharmonious. --Dryden. [1913 Webster]

The Roman poets, in their description of a beautiful man, often mention the turn of his neck and arms. --Addison. [1913 Webster]

9. A change of condition; especially, a sudden or recurring symptom of illness, as a nervous shock, or fainting spell; as, a bad turn. [Colloq.] [1913 Webster]

10. A fall off the ladder at the gallows; a hanging; -- so called from the practice of causing the criminal to stand on a ladder which was turned over, so throwing him off, when the signal was given. [Obs.] [1913 Webster]

11. A round of a rope or cord in order to secure it, as about a pin or a cleat. [1913 Webster]

12. (Mining) A pit sunk in some part of a drift. [1913 Webster]

13. (Eng. Law) A court of record, held by the sheriff twice a year in every hundred within his county. --Blount. [1913 Webster]

14. pl. (Med.) Monthly courses; menses. [Colloq.] [1913 Webster]

15. (Mus.) An embellishment or grace (marked thus, ?), commonly consisting of the principal note, or that on which the turn is made, with the note above, and the semitone below, the note above being sounded first, the principal note next, and the semitone below last, the three being performed quickly, as a triplet preceding the marked note. The turn may be inverted so as to begin with the lower note, in which case the sign is either placed on end thus ?, or drawn thus ?. [1913 Webster]

{By turns}. (a) One after another; alternately; in succession. (b) At intervals. ``[They] feel by turns the bitter change.'' --Milton.

{In turn}, in due order of succession.

{To a turn}, exactly; perfectly; as, done to a turn; -- a phrase alluding to the practice of cooking on a revolving spit.

{To take turns}, to alternate; to succeed one another in due order.

{Turn and turn about}, by equal alternating periods of service or duty; by turns.

{Turn bench}, a simple portable lathe, used on a bench by clock makers and watchmakers.

{Turn buckle}. See {Turnbuckle}, in Vocabulary.

{Turn cap}, a sort of chimney cap which turns round with the wind so as to present its opening to the leeward. --G. Francis.

{Turn of life} (Med.), change of life. See under {Change}.

{Turn screw}, a screw driver. [1913 Webster]


The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.

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  • take turns (in something do something) — take ˈturns (in sth/to do sth) idiom (BrE also take it in ˈturns) if people take turns or take it in turns to do sth, they do it one after the other to make sure it is done fairly • The male and female birds take turns in sitting on the eggs. •… …   Useful english dictionary

  • take turns (in to do something) — take ˈturns (in sth/to do sth) idiom (BrE also take it in ˈturns) if people take turns or take it in turns to do sth, they do it one after the other to make sure it is done fairly • The male and female birds take turns in sitting on the eggs. •… …   Useful english dictionary

  • take turns (or Brit. take it in turns) — (of two or more people) do something one after the other. → turn …   English new terms dictionary

  • take turns doing something — take turns (doing something) to do something one person after another. The mothers in our group take turns driving the children to school. When they play on the swings, we try to make sure the kids take turns …   New idioms dictionary

  • take turns — (doing something) to do something one person after another. The mothers in our group take turns driving the children to school. When they play on the swings, we try to make sure the kids take turns …   New idioms dictionary

  • take turns — ► take turns (or take it in turns) (of two or more people) do something alternately or in succession. Main Entry: ↑turn …   English terms dictionary

  • take turns — verb do something in turns (Freq. 2) We take turns on the night shift • Syn: ↑alternate • Derivationally related forms: ↑alternation (for: ↑alternate) …   Useful english dictionary

  • take turns — {v. phr.} To do something one after another instead of doing it all at the same time. * /In class we should not talk all at the same time; we should take turns./ * /Jean and Beth took turns on the swing./ * /The two boys took turns at digging the …   Dictionary of American idioms

  • take turns — {v. phr.} To do something one after another instead of doing it all at the same time. * /In class we should not talk all at the same time; we should take turns./ * /Jean and Beth took turns on the swing./ * /The two boys took turns at digging the …   Dictionary of American idioms

  • take\ turns — v. phr. To do something one after another instead of doing it all at the same time. In class we should not talk all at the same time; we should take turns. Jean and Beth took turns on the swing. The two boys took turns at digging the hole. The… …   Словарь американских идиом

  • take turns — do something alternately with others We had to take turns using the dictionary as there was only one …   Idioms and examples

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