Meaning & use
turn head
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Meanings
phraseidiom
To attract a lot of attention or admiration because of how attractive or impressive you look.
Grammar: Used with a plural subject, usually 'turn heads'; no object is needed.
Patterns
- someone turns heads
- something turns heads
She walked into the party in that red dress and turned heads all night.
The new electric sports car turns heads wherever it goes.
His singing voice turns heads even in a crowded street.
phraseidiom
To make someone feel too proud or to change their loyalties, especially because of praise or success.
Grammar: Usually in the form 'turn someone's head'; the object is the person being affected.
Patterns
- something turns someone's head
- fame turns someone's head
All the early praise turned his head, and he stopped listening to advice.
Don't let one good review turn your head — keep working hard.
phraseintransitive
To turn your neck so you are looking in a different direction.
Grammar: Literal and physical; needs a possessive word: turn your/his/her head.
Patterns
- turn your head
- turn someone's head
She turned her head to see who was calling her name.
He turned his head slowly toward the window and smiled.
Common combinations
- turn heads at an event
- Her outfit turned heads at the awards ceremony.
- turn heads wherever she goes
- He turns heads wherever he goes because of his height.
- turn someone's head with praise
- The coach warned that praise could turn the young player's head.
- enough to turn heads
- The design is bold enough to turn heads.
- turn your head to look
- Turn your head to the left and breathe out slowly.
Synonyms and how they differ
- attract attention
- A plainer, neutral phrase; 'turn heads' suggests admiration and often a physical reaction, while 'attract attention' can be negative too.
- catch the eye
- Similar meaning but milder and less about admiration; used for things noticed briefly.
- go to someone's head
- Close to the second sense, but it always means becoming conceited, not about looks.
Opposites
Word family
- head-turner noun
- A person or thing that attracts a lot of admiring attention.
- head-turning adjective
- Describing something that attracts attention because it is striking.
Commonly confused: turn head or turn heads? turn head or turn your head?
turn head vs turn heads
This plural form is the usual idiom for attracting attention; the singular 'turn head' is rare and sounds wrong in most sentences.
turn head vs turn your head
This is the literal physical action; the idiom 'turn someone's head' means making them conceited.
Practice
Which sentence uses the idiom correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Turn heads' is a fixed idiom with a plural noun and no article or object. Option 1 is wrong because the plural is required; option 2 wrongly adds 'the'; option 3 uses 'of' where the idiom takes no preposition.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “turn head”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.