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Words, grammatical forms and meanings linked to the ontology.

turn out en · VERB

Pronunciation

Etymology

From Middle English turnen out, tornen out, equivalent to turn + out. The slang and prison terms meaning "to turn into a prostitute, etc." are probably an ellipsis for turn (inside) out (“to flip someone's character or role”).

Meanings

  1. (copulative, idiomatic, intransitive) To end up; to result.
    • He used to drop into my chambers once in a while to smoke, and was first-rate company. When I gave a dinner there was generally a cover laid for him. I liked the man for his own sake, and even had he promised to turn out a celebrity it would have had no weight with me. 1897 December (indicated as 1898), Winston Churchill, chapter I, in The Celebrity: An Episode, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company; London: Macmillan & Co., Ltd., →OCLC, page 2:
    • I couldn't have assisted anyway, as it turned out.
    • I had hoped our first meeting would turn out better.
    • The thing we’ll all remember is Arya Stark, Supreme Badass Of The Seven Kingdoms. Not Jon Snow, not Daenerys, but the pint-size warrior who spends the first part of the fight just annihilating White Walkers one after the other, then turns out to be the one who deals the killing blow to the Night King. 2019 April 28, Alex McLevy, “Game Of Thrones Suffers the Fog of War in the Battle against the Dead (Newbies)”, in The A.V. Club, archived from the original on 31 May 2021:
    • I should like this to be the result, gentlemen, assuming it be for your advantage and my own; and I should like to be successful in my defence; but I think that it will be difficult, and I am quite aware of the nature of my task. However, let that turn out as God wills; I must obey the law and make my defence. 1954, Plato, translated by Hugh Tredennick, “Socrates on Trial: The Apology”, in The Last Days of Socrates (Penguin Classics), Harmondsworth, Middlesex: Penguin Books, →OCLC, page 21:
    • The truth turned out to be more depressing than we thought.
  2. (intransitive, qualifier:by ellipsis) To succeed; work out; turn out well.
    • I'm afraid the cake didn't turn out.
    • Starting a new story, I hope it turns out. 1965 February 13, Lou Sullivan, Diary:
  3. (idiomatic, intransitive) To attend; show up.
    • Hundreds of people turned out to see the parade.
    • The train is usually crowded and half the township of Forres seems to turn out to watch it go off. 1944 January and February, W. McGowan Gradon, “Forres as a Railway Centre”, in Railway Magazine, page 23:
  4. (dated, intransitive) To go out; to leave one's home.
    • But then one of Mr. Knott's men would have had to put on his coat and hat and turn out, as likely as not in the pitch dark, and in torrents of rain in all probability, and grope his way in the dark in the pours of rain, with the pot of food in his hand, a wretched and ridiculous figure, to where the dog lay. 1953, Samuel Beckett, Watt, [Paris]: Olympia Press, →OCLC:
  5. (idiomatic, transitive) To extinguish a light or other device.
    • It's one of those books you have to go on reading long after you know you should turn out the light unless you want to feel like hell the next morning. 1984 December 29, Judith Barrington, “Dyke Detectives Solve Murder Mysteries”, in Gay Community News, volume 12, number 25, page 7:
    • The day grew strong, and showed itself outside, even against the flaming lights within. The lights were turned out, and the work went on. 1854, Dickens, chapter 11, in Hard Times:
    • Turn out the lights before you leave.
  6. (idiomatic, intransitive) To become apparent or known, especially (as) it turns out
    • It turns out that he just made a lucky guess.
    • The Ivorian is a player with such a liking for improvisation it does not usually look like he has any more idea than anyone else what he is going to do next, so it was an interesting choice. As it turned out, it was a masterstroke. The striker was full of running, played with a more direct shoot-on-sight approach than normal and finished with two goals and an assist. 2012 September 15, Amy Lawrence, “Arsenal's Gervinho enjoys the joy of six against lowly Southampton”, in the Guardian:
    • As soon as Julia returned with a constable, Timothy, who was on the point of exhaustion, prepared to give over to him gratefully. The newcomer turned out to be a powerful youngster, fully trained and eager to help, and he stripped off his tunic at once. 1963, Margery Allingham, chapter 19, in The China Governess: A Mystery, London: Chatto & Windus, →OCLC:
    • It turns out, there’s research that backs up the usefulness of lowering our expectations. Participants in one study had to make decisions that either led to financial gains or losses, all while inside a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machine. Researchers then duplicated this experiment as an app to crowdsource more data. 2024 May 14, Clay Drinko, “Lower Your Expectations”, in Psychology Today:
  7. (idiomatic, transitive) To produce; make.
    • This new locomotive was turned out of Doncaster works in May, 1934, to a mighty fanfare of trumpets. 1942 February, O. S. Nock, “The Locomotives of Sir Nigel Gresley: Part VII”, in Railway Magazine, page 44:
    • The bakery turns out three hundred pies each day.
  8. (intransitive) To leave a road.
    • Turn out at the third driveway.
  9. (transitive) To remove from a mould, bowl etc.
    • Turn out the dough onto a board and shape it.
    • He had found the pocket, and was turning out the contents. 1897, Richard Marsh, The Beetle:
  10. (transitive) To empty for inspection.
    • Please turn out your pockets.
    • The security guard asked everyone to turn out their bags.
  11. (idiomatic, transitive) To refuse service or shelter; to eject or evict.
    • The hotel staff hastened to turn out the noisy drunk.
    • The whole lot of grafters was later turned out of office.
    • A fine life I should have if I left this country at my age and spent the rest of my days trying one city after another and being turned out every time! 1954, Plato, translated by Hugh Tredennick, “Socrates on Trial: The Apology”, in The Last Days of Socrates (Penguin Classics), Harmondsworth, Middlesex: Penguin Books, →OCLC, page 45:
    • And so the teacher turned it out But still it lingered near, And waited patiently about Till Mary did appear. 1998, Jonathan Langley, Collins Bedtime Treasury of Nursery Rhymes and Tales, Mary Had a Little Lamb, page 39:
    • The poor family were turned out of their lodgings at only an hour's notice.
    • There the North British, having apparently decided that we had sufficiently wallowed in luxury, turned us out and loaded us into ancient four-wheelers, which were then attached to the rear of the night express (8.15 from Kings Cross). 1957 July 14, M. D. Greville, “A Diamond Jubilee of Railway Memories”, in Railway Magazine, page 459:
  12. (slang, transitive) To convince a person (usually a woman) to become a prostitute; to pimp or manage a prostitute.
    • The nigga that turned her out was named Derek “Sweets” D. I despised that pimping motherfucker with passion. 2012, Eyes . . . JB, If I Should Die Tonight: The Untold Stories, page 18:
    • He then turned her out onto the streets of Chicago with a quota to meet: $500 for a night's work. 2008, Carolyn Maloney, Rumors of Our Progress Have Been Greatly Exaggerated:
    • Like I told you, I'm still turning this one bitch out. […] Sunday is three days away, if you ain't turned her out by then she ain't worth it. 2008, Joseph B. Haggerty, Sr., Shame: The Story of a Pimp, page 361:
  13. (slang, transitive) To rape; to coerce an otherwise heterosexual individual into performing a homosexual role.
  14. (transitive) To put (cattle) out to pasture.
  15. (transitive) To convince to vote
    • turn out potential voters
  16. (intransitive) To leave one's work to take part in a strike.
  17. (colloquial, intransitive) To get out of bed; get up.

Forms

SpellingFeaturesLabelsSource
turns out Number=Sing, Person=3, Tense=Pres lexicographic
turned out Tense=Past, VerbForm=Part lexicographic
turned out Tense=Past lexicographic
turning out Tense=Pres, VerbForm=Part lexicographic

Coordinates

turn away · turn down

Deriveds

turnout

Relateds

come out · put out · turn · turn away · crank out · turn off · turn up · end up

Synonyms

prostitute · constuprate · turn off · hustle · pimp out · grape · viole · vitiate · ravish · turn out · oppress · misuse · Shawshank · switch out · force · rape · punk · abuse · r-word · whore · whore out · pimp · switch off · defoul · violate · pollute · pander · scotch · ravage · dog out · harlotize · abuse · defile · whore out · mack · ponce · dishonour · violate · outrage

Translations (158)

ru выпуска́ть (to produce; make) · fr éjecter (to refuse service or shelter; to eject or evict) · eo sukcesi (to succeed) · sv ge resultat (to result; end up) · ru прису́тствовать (to attend; show up) · fi valmistaa (to produce; make) · ca resultar (to result; end up) · eo finiĝi bone (to succeed) · ca resultar (to become apparent or known) · it rivelare (to become apparent or known) · gl presentarse (to attend; show up) · eo havi bonan rezulton (to succeed) · fr s'avérer (to result; end up) · de sich herausstellen als/dass (to result; end up) · hu kidob (to refuse service or shelter; to eject or evict) · es producir (to produce; make) · hu lekanyarodik (to leave a road) · vi đâm ra (to become apparent or known) · de zurückweisen (to refuse service or shelter; to eject or evict) · gl resultar (to become apparent or known) · de sich entpuppen als (to result; end up) · sv visa ut (to refuse service or shelter; to eject or evict) · la cēdō (to result; end up) · hu sikerül (to result; end up) · hu elolt (to extinguish a light or other device) · it spegnere (to extinguish a light or other device) · sv visa sig (to become apparent or known) · nl blijken (to become apparent or known) · fr se terminer (to result; end up) · fr se pointer (to attend; show up) · uk ви́явитися (to result; end up) · gl saír (to leave a road) · da slukke (to extinguish a light or other device) · fi ilmaantua (to attend; show up) · de herstellen (to produce; make) · hu megjelenik (to attend; show up) · hu jelen van (to attend; show up) · ru посеща́ть (to attend; show up) · vi hoá ra (to become apparent or known) · fr s'avérer (to become apparent or known) · es asistir (to attend; show up) · fi päättyä (to result; end up) · de abweisen (to refuse service or shelter; to eject or evict) · nl een uitkomst hebben (to result; end up) · hu kifordít (to remove from a mould, bowl etc.) · fr expulser (to refuse service or shelter; to eject or evict) · hu sikerül (to succeed) · eo fari (to produce; make) · nl resulteren (to result; end up) · be выяўля́цца (to result; end up) · es resultar (to result; end up) · nl duidelijk worden (to become apparent or known) · nl uitdoen (to extinguish a light or other device) · be вы́явіцца (to result; end up) · vi hóa ra (to become apparent or known) · eo elturniĝi (to succeed) · hu alakul (to result; end up) · hu kikapcsol (to extinguish a light or other device) · nl produceren (to produce; make) · hu készít (to produce; make) · sv stänga av (to extinguish a light or other device) · eo malŝalti (to extinguish a light or other device) · eo evidentiĝi (to become apparent or known) · gl resultar (to result; end up) · gl apagar (to extinguish a light or other device) · uk з'ясо́вуватися (to become apparent or known) · hu kiderül (to become apparent or known) · hu kiteszi a szűrét (to refuse service or shelter; to eject or evict) · de hervorbringen (to produce; make) · uk ви́йти (to result; end up) · eo rezulti (to result; end up) · fr produire (to produce; make) · it venire (to succeed) · pt terminar (to result; end up) · nn å visa seg (to result; end up) · ru ока́зываться (to result; end up) · hu elzár (to extinguish a light or other device) · nl opdagen (to attend; show up) · uk вихо́дити (to result; end up) · sv dyka upp (to attend; show up) · uk з'ясува́тися (to become apparent or known) · hu lefordul (to leave a road) · de enden als (to result; end up) · hu ellátogat (to attend; show up) · sv slänga ut (to refuse service or shelter; to eject or evict) · hu összejön (to succeed) · ru оказа́ться (to result; end up) · es hacer (to produce; make) · nl uitvallen (to result; end up) · it estrarre (to remove from a mould, bowl etc.) · it uscire (to leave a road) · be ака́звацца (to result; end up) · eo aperi (to attend; show up) · nl maken (to produce; make) · hu részt vesz (to attend; show up) · fr se finir (to result; end up) · de sich herausstellen (to become apparent or known) · eo finiĝi (to result; end up) · hu eljön (to attend; show up) · it partecipare (to attend; show up) · gl botar fóra (to refuse service or shelter; to eject or evict) · de sich erweisen als (to result; end up) · cy troi allan (to remove from a mould, bowl etc.) · sv svänga av (to leave a road) · uk виявля́тися (to result; end up) · cy troi mas (to remove from a mould, bowl etc.) · fr sortir (to produce; make) · de so ausgehen (to result; end up) · es resultar (to become apparent or known) · it produrre (to produce; make) · sv släcka (to extinguish a light or other device) · fi häätää (to refuse service or shelter; to eject or evict) · be аказа́цца (to result; end up) · hu lekapcsol (to extinguish a light or other device) · cy troi allan (to refuse service or shelter; to eject or evict) · fi sammuttaa (to extinguish a light or other device) · pl okazywać się (to result; end up) · es apagar (to extinguish a light or other device) · gl retirar (to remove from a mould, bowl etc.) · la ēveniō (to result; end up) · wa distinde (to extinguish a light or other device) · eo montriĝi (to become apparent or known) · sv göra (to produce; make) · fi käydä ilmi (to become apparent or known) · fr sortir (to leave a road) · hu gyárt (to produce; make) · nl uitschakelen (to extinguish a light or other device) · hu kitessékel (to refuse service or shelter; to eject or evict) · de ausschalten (to extinguish a light or other device) · gl asistir (to attend; show up) · eo produkti (to produce; make) · enm faren (to result; end up) · hu előállít (to produce; make) · wa clôre (to extinguish a light or other device) · fr débarquer (to refuse service or shelter; to eject or evict) · az çıxmaq (to become apparent or known) · pl okazać się (to result; end up) · it assistere (to attend; show up) · gl producir (to produce; make) · fr éteindre (to extinguish a light or other device) · de machen (to produce; make) · gl saír ben (to succeed) · pt desenformar (to remove from a mould, bowl etc.) · sv producera (to produce; make) · it buttare fuori (to refuse service or shelter; to eject or evict) · it risultare (to result; end up) · hu végződik (to result; end up) · es desmoldar (to remove from a mould, bowl etc.) · cy troi mas (to refuse service or shelter; to eject or evict) · fi osoittautua (to become apparent or known) · fi tuottaa (to produce; make) · it espellere (to refuse service or shelter; to eject or evict) · de sich entpuppen als (to become apparent or known) · fr démouler (to remove from a mould, bowl etc.) · eo veni (to attend; show up) · it diventare chiaro (to become apparent or known) · de dass (to result; end up) · cmn 原來 /原来 (to result; end up)