TURN ON

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does turn on mean? 

• TURN ON (verb)
  The verb TURN ON has 7 senses:

1. cause to operate by flipping a switch

2. be contingent on

3. produce suddenly or automatically

4. become hostile towards

5. cause to be agitated, excited, or roused

6. stimulate sexually

7. get high, stoned, or drugged

  Familiarity information: TURN ON used as a verb is common.

 Dictionary entry details 

• TURN ON (verb)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Cause to operate by flipping a switch

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Synonyms:

switch on; turn on

Context example:

turn on the stereo

Hypernyms (to "turn on" is one way to...):

flip; switch; throw (cause to go on or to be engaged or set in operation)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Sense 2

Meaning:

Be contingent on

Classified under:

Verbs of being, having, spatial relations

Synonyms:

depend on; depend upon; devolve on; hinge on; hinge upon; ride; turn on

Context example:

Your grade will depends on your homework

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "turn on"):

build on; build upon; repose on; rest on (be based on; of theories and claims, for example)

Sentence frames:

Something ----s somebody
Something ----s something

Sense 3

Meaning:

Produce suddenly or automatically

Classified under:

Verbs of seeing, hearing, feeling

Context example:

turn on the waterworks

Hypernyms (to "turn on" is one way to...):

bring forth; produce (bring out for display)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Sense 4

Meaning:

Become hostile towards

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Context example:

The dog suddenly turned on the mailman

Hypernyms (to "turn on" is one way to...):

change (undergo a change; become different in essence; losing one's or its original nature)

Sentence frames:

Something is ----ing PP
Somebody ----s PP

Sense 5

Meaning:

Cause to be agitated, excited, or roused

Classified under:

Verbs of feeling

Synonyms:

agitate; charge; charge up; commove; excite; rouse; turn on

Context example:

The speaker charged up the crowd with his inflammatory remarks

Hypernyms (to "turn on" is one way to...):

disturb; trouble; upset (move deeply)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "turn on"):

hype up; psych up (get excited or stimulated)

bother (make nervous or agitated)

pother (make upset or troubled)

electrify (excite suddenly and intensely)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s somebody
Something ----s somebody

Derivation:

turn-on (something causing excitement or stimulating interest)

Sense 6

Meaning:

Stimulate sexually

Classified under:

Verbs of feeling

Synonyms:

arouse; excite; sex; turn on; wind up

Context example:

This movie usually arouses the male audience

Hypernyms (to "turn on" is one way to...):

excite; shake; shake up; stimulate; stir (stir the feelings, emotions, or peace of)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "turn on"):

tempt (try to seduce)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s somebody
Something ----s somebody

Sentence example:

The performance is likely to turn on Sue

Derivation:

turn-on (something causing excitement or stimulating interest)

Sense 7

Meaning:

Get high, stoned, or drugged

Classified under:

Verbs of eating and drinking

Synonyms:

get off; trip; trip out; turn on

Context example:

He trips every weekend

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s
Somebody ----s on something

 Context examples 

This enabled them to turn on brain cells in these regions by using a blue light.

(How novelty boosts memory retention, NIH)

Both Peggotty and Mrs. Gummidge had their aprons to their eyes, and Ham had just stepped out “to take a turn on the beach”.

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)

Turn on the news on January 12—you will see what I am saying on the world stage.

(AstrologyZone.com, by Susan Miller)

"The trick is we choose the right chemicals to turn on these genes we transfer into the egg," Mu-ming Poo told the press.

(Healthy cloned monkeys born in Shanghai, Wikinews)

This switch allows genes to 'turn on' so that the cell can respond to changes in the environment such as damage, and activate the regeneration program when needed.

(Regeneration mechanism discovered in mice could provide target for drugs to combat chronic liver disease, University of Cambridge)

When they added a chemical to the culture media to turn on the gene, the cells produced high levels of IL-1Ra.

(Stem cells grown on scaffold mimic hip joint cartilage, NIH)

Maud held the turn on the windlass and coiled down the slack.

(The Sea-Wolf, by Jack London)

The researchers mapped the genomic distribution of TPT and found that TPT sits near regions of DNA that turn on antimicrobial genes, called promoters.

(Drug might help treat sepsis, NIH)

This allowed the researchers to turn on the heat-sensing neurons using a fiber-optic light.

(Brain cells that cool the body, NIH)

Xi may be monitoring the flies’ metabolic state, including levels of nutrients, and then signaling to octopamine neurons whether they should turn on or off, resulting in changes in behavior.

(Gut bacteria may control movement, National Institutes of Health)