Meaning & use
to turn in
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Meanings
phrasetransitive
to give a piece of work, a document, or a found item to someone in authority.
Grammar: Takes an object, which can go between turn and in or after in: turn in your essay / turn your essay in.
Patterns
- turn in something
- turn something in
- turn in a report
Please turn in your homework by Friday.
She turned in the wallet she found on the sidewalk.
He turned his application in at the last minute.
phraseintransitiveinformal
to go to bed, especially at night.
Grammar: No object; often used in the phrase 'turn in for the night'.
Patterns
- turn in early
- turn in for the night
I'm tired, so I'll turn in early tonight.
We turned in for the night after the long drive.
phrasetransitive
to give a person to the police or another authority.
Grammar: Takes an object; the person can come before or after in: turn in a suspect / turn a suspect in.
Patterns
- turn in a suspect
- turn someone in to the police
The neighbor turned the thief in to the police.
He decided to turn himself in the next morning.
Word forms
| third person singular | turns in |
|---|---|
| past tense | turned in |
| past participle | turned in |
| -ing form | turning in |
Common combinations
- turn in homework
- The teacher reminded us to turn in our homework.
- turn in a report
- I have to turn in a report by Monday.
- turn in early
- We turned in early because we had an early flight.
- turn someone in
- She turned her brother in for breaking the law.
Synonyms and how they differ
- hand in
- Very close in meaning for work or documents; 'hand in' is more common in British English.
- submit
- More formal and often used for official applications or reports.
- go to bed
- The plain, neutral way to say the sleep sense of 'turn in'.
Opposites
Word family
- turn-in noun
- The act of giving something in, often used before another noun, as in 'turn-in date'.
Commonly confused: to turn in or turn on? to turn in or turn into?
to turn in vs turn on
Means to switch something on, not to give something in or go to bed.
to turn in vs turn into
Means to change into something else, as in 'The frog turned into a prince'.
Practice
Please ______ your assignment before you leave.
Choose one answer.
'Turn in' means to give work to a teacher or authority. 'Turn on' means to switch on, and 'turn into' means to become something else.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “to turn in”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.