turn something on
Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.
Meaning · English
activate or start something
Literally: rotate a switch
Register: neutral
Examples
She turned the lights on.
AI-drafted example auto-approved by rule (illustrative, not a corpus attestation)
Sources & notes
Everyday learner phrase (CEFR A2); level cross-referenced from published learner lists. Definition pending editorial review. Definition drafted by AI (@cf/meta/llama-3.3-70b-instruct-fp8-fast) and auto-approved by rule on 2026-08-01; pending editor spot-check.
Common questions
What does “turn something on” mean?
activate or start something Literally: rotate a switch
Is “turn something on” formal or informal?
turn something on is generally neutral.