turn over

turn over — 片語動詞

  • turn overbase form
  • turns over3rd person singular
  • turning over-ing form
  • turned overpast simple

1. While lying down, to rotate the body sideways — for example, swapping the side t

1.片語動詞不及物B1
釋義

翻身

躺著時將身體翻向另一面

While lying down, to rotate the body sideways — for example, swapping the side that faces up with the one underneath, like rolling from back to stomach in bed.

例句

Yuki turned over in bed and pulled the blanket over her shoulders.

Yuki 在床上翻了個身，把毯子拉到肩膀上。

intransitive: turn over (in bed)

The nurse asked Mr. Rachid to turn over so she could check his back.

護理師請 Rachid 先生翻過身，好讓她檢查背部。

imperative request to a patient

同義詞
  • roll over

    near-identical; 'roll over' suggests a single rotation, 'turn over' can also mean a partial flip

  • flip over

    more sudden or athletic; not used for sleepy movements in bed

文法句型

[person] turn over

用法筆記

Subject is a person or animal lying flat. Often paired with a place phrase (in bed, on the sofa, on the mat).

常見錯誤

❌Yuki turned over the bed all night.
✅Yuki turned over in bed all night.
💡for the sleeping sense, use 'in bed', not 'over the bed'.

2. When talking about an engine, to begin running so that its internal parts move a

2.片語動詞及物 / 不及物B2
釋義

發動；運轉

引擎開始轉動運作

When talking about an engine, to begin running so that its internal parts move and fire — or, used with an object, to crank an engine into motion so it begins running.

例句

Selim tried the key three times, but the old van's engine refused to turn over.

Selim 試了三次鑰匙，但那台老廂型車的引擎就是發不動。

intransitive: engine + turn over

After a new battery, the motorbike turned over on the first try.

換了新電池後，那台機車一發就動了。

同義詞
  • crank

    more technical; emphasises the starter motor's spinning action

  • fire up

    informal; suggests the engine successfully starts and runs

反義詞
  • stall

    engine stops unexpectedly while running

文法句型

[engine] turn over

turn over [engine]

用法筆記

Subject of the intransitive use is almost always 'engine', 'motor', or a vehicle by metonymy ('the car won't turn over'). Common in mechanic and driving contexts.

常見錯誤

❌Selim turned over the engine to drive home.
✅Selim started the engine to drive home.
💡'turn over' usually refers to the cranking motion, not the everyday act of starting and driving away.

3. Used of a company or shop, to take in a certain total amount of money from sales

3.片語動詞及物C1
釋義

營業額達

公司一段期間內的銷售總額

Used of a company or shop, to take in a certain total amount of money from sales over a stated period such as a year — the headline revenue figure, before costs are taken away.

例句

The bakery turns over about three million pounds a year, mostly from its online cake orders.

這家烘焙坊一年營業額大約三百萬英鎊，主要來自線上蛋糕訂單。

turn over + [amount] + [period]

Renata's small design firm turned over £450,000 in its first full year.

Renata 的小型設計公司在第一個完整年度做了 45 萬英鎊的營業額。

同義詞
  • gross

    common in American English; 'the film grossed $200 million'

  • generate

    broader; 'generate revenue / sales' works in any variety

文法句型

[business] turn over [amount]

用法筆記

Subject is a business, not a person. Speaks to gross revenue, not profit. Mainly British English; American sources prefer 'have revenue of' or 'gross'.

常見錯誤

❌Renata turned over £40,000 last year from her salary.
✅Renata earned £40,000 last year from her salary.
💡'turn over' is for business sales, not personal income.

4. While watching TV, to switch from the channel that is currently on to a differen

4.片語動詞不及物B1
釋義

轉台

看電視時切換到別的頻道

While watching TV, to switch from the channel that is currently on to a different one, usually because what is showing is boring or unwanted.

例句

Eli grabbed the remote and turned over as soon as the adverts started.

廣告一開始，Eli 就抓起遙控器轉台。

intransitive: turn over (no object)

Can we turn over? I can't watch another minute of this cooking show.

可以轉台嗎？這個烹飪節目我一分鐘都看不下去了。

informal request, can + we

同義詞
  • switch over

    near-identical, slightly more neutral in register

  • flip over

    American; suggests rapid channel-flipping

文法句型

turn over (to [channel])

用法筆記

Mainly British English and informal. American English prefers 'change the channel' or 'flip / switch over'. Object channel is introduced with 'to'.

常見錯誤

❌Eli turned over the channel.
✅Eli turned over to the next channel.' or 'Eli changed the channel.
💡don't put the channel directly after 'turn over' without 'to'.

5. To pick up an object and place it back down with the side that was on top now un

5.片語動詞及物B1
釋義

翻面；翻過來

把物品上下兩面對調

To pick up an object and place it back down with the side that was on top now underneath, or the underneath side now on top — like flipping a pancake or turning a page face-down.

例句

Putri turned the pancake over once the edges began to brown.

等鬆餅邊緣開始變金黃，Putri 就把它翻面。

separable: turn [object] over

Please turn your exam papers over and begin.

請把考卷翻過來開始作答。

imperative; classroom register

同義詞
  • flip

    shorter, often quicker or more vigorous motion (flip a pancake, flip a coin)

  • invert

    formal / technical; used in instructions or scientific contexts

文法句型

turn [object] over

turn over [object]

用法筆記

Separable phrasal verb. With a pronoun object, the pronoun must come between the verb and 'over': 'turn it over', not 'turn over it'.

常見錯誤

❌Putri turned over it.
✅Putri turned it over.
💡pronoun objects always go in the middle of separable phrasal verbs.

6. To start using a building, room, or piece of equipment for something new, or to

6.片語動詞及物C1
釋義

改作他用

把空間或設備轉作另一種用途

To start using a building, room, or piece of equipment for something new, or to let someone else use it for their own purpose — for example, changing a garage into an office.

例句

The school turned its old library over to drama rehearsals after the new media centre opened.

新的多媒體中心啟用後，學校把舊圖書館改作戲劇排練用。

turn [thing] over to [new use]

Christopher turned the spare bedroom over to his pottery hobby.

Christopher 把多餘的臥室改作他做陶藝的空間。

同義詞
  • convert

    stronger; suggests structural change, not just reassignment

  • hand over

    emphasises giving control to someone else, less about purpose

文法句型

turn [thing] over to [new use / person]

用法筆記

Almost always followed by 'to' introducing the new purpose or user. Distinguish from sense 5 (physically flipping): here the object is a space or resource, and the change is about USE, not orientation.

常見錯誤

❌Christopher turned over the spare room for his pottery.
✅Christopher turned the spare room over to his pottery.
💡use 'to' to introduce the new purpose, and the standard pattern keeps the object in the middle.

7. To keep examining a thought, problem, or possibility from different angles for a

7.片語動詞及物C1
釋義

反覆思索

在腦中從各角度反覆考量

To keep examining a thought, problem, or possibility from different angles for a while, the way you might rotate an object to see all its sides.

例句

Inês turned the offer over in her mind for a week before replying to the company.

Inês 把那份工作邀約在心裡反覆想了一個星期，才回覆那家公司。

turn [thing] over in your mind

On the long train ride home, Zuri turned the argument over and over in her head.

在漫長的回程火車上，Zuri 在腦中一再反覆思索那場爭執。

intensifier: over and over

同義詞
  • mull over

    very close synonym; slightly more informal

  • ponder

    single word, slightly literary

  • weigh up

    emphasises comparing pros and cons, not just thinking

文法句型

turn [idea] over in your mind / head

用法筆記

Frequently followed by 'in your mind' or 'in your head'. Object is usually an abstract noun: idea, offer, question, possibility, argument. Suggests slow, deliberate thinking, not a snap decision.

常見錯誤

❌Inês turned over about the offer for a week.
✅Inês turned the offer over in her mind for a week.
💡needs a direct object (the thing being thought about), not 'about'.

8. To break into a place such as a shop or flat to steal from it, or to search thro

8.片語動詞及物C1
釋義

洗劫；闖空門

闖入店家或住處行竊或翻搜

To break into a place such as a shop or flat to steal from it, or to search through it so roughly that things end up scattered and broken.

例句

Thieves turned over the corner shop on Friday night and took most of the cigarettes.

週五晚上小偷洗劫了那家轉角商店，把香菸幾乎全部拿走。

turn over [place] = rob it

When Anna got home, she found her flat had been turned over while she was at work.

Anna 回到家時，發現自己上班時公寓被闖空門洗劫過。

passive: be turned over

同義詞
  • ransack

    emphasises the mess and rough searching; doesn't have to involve theft

  • burgle

    British; neutral term for breaking in to steal, without the messiness

  • rob

    general term; 'rob' a place or person, often with threat of force

文法句型

turn over [place]

用法筆記

British informal, common in crime news and police drama. Object is the place being robbed (shop, house, flat), not the items taken. Often appears in the passive ('be turned over').

常見錯誤

❌Thieves turned over the cigarettes.
✅Thieves turned over the corner shop and took the cigarettes.
💡the direct object is the place, not the stolen goods.