Word: turn out Part of Speech: verb Etymology: From Middle English turnen out, tornen out, equivalent to turn + out. The slang and prison terms meaning "to turn into a prostitute, etc." are probably an ellipsis for turn (inside) out (“to flip someone's character or role”). 1. To end up; to result. Labels: copulative, idiomatic, intransitive Example: I had hoped our first meeting would turn out better. Example: The truth turned out to be more depressing than we thought. 2. To succeed; work out; turn out well. Labels: intransitive Example: I'm afraid the cake didn't turn out. Example: Starting a new story, I hope it turns out. 3. To attend; show up. Labels: idiomatic, intransitive Example: Hundreds of people turned out to see the parade. Example: The train is usually crowded and half the township of Forres seems to turn out to watch it go off. 4. To go out; to leave one's home. Labels: dated, intransitive Example: But then one of Mr. Knott's men would have had to put on his coat and hat and turn out, as likely as not in the pitch dark, and in torrents of rain in all probability, and grope his way in the dark in the pours of rain, with the pot of food in his hand, a wretched and ridiculous figure, to where the dog lay. 5. To extinguish a light or other device. Labels: idiomatic, transitive Example: Turn out the lights before you leave. Example: The day grew strong, and showed itself outside, even against the flaming lights within. The lights were turned out, and the work went on. 6. To become apparent or known, especially (as) it turns out Labels: idiomatic, intransitive Example: It turns out that he just made a lucky guess. Example: As soon as Julia returned with a constable, Timothy, who was on the point of exhaustion, prepared to give over to him gratefully. The newcomer turned out to be a powerful youngster, fully trained and eager to help, and he stripped off his tunic at once. 7. To produce; make. Labels: idiomatic, transitive Example: The bakery turns out three hundred pies each day. Example: This new locomotive was turned out of Doncaster works in May, 1934, to a mighty fanfare of trumpets. 8. To leave a road. Labels: intransitive Example: Turn out at the third driveway. 9. To remove from a mould, bowl etc. Labels: transitive Example: Turn out the dough onto a board and shape it. Example: He had found the pocket, and was turning out the contents. 10. To empty for inspection. Labels: transitive Example: Please turn out your pockets. Example: The security guard asked everyone to turn out their bags. 11. To refuse service or shelter; to eject or evict. Labels: idiomatic, transitive Example: The hotel staff hastened to turn out the noisy drunk. Example: The poor family were turned out of their lodgings at only an hour's notice. 12. To convince a person (usually a woman) to become a prostitute; to pimp or manage a prostitute. Labels: slang, transitive Example: He then turned her out onto the streets of Chicago with a quota to meet: $500 for a night's work. Example: Like I told you, I'm still turning this one bitch out. […] Sunday is three days away, if you ain't turned her out by then she ain't worth it. 13. To rape; to coerce an otherwise heterosexual individual into performing a homosexual role. Labels: slang, transitive 14. To put (cattle) out to pasture. Labels: transitive 15. To convince to vote Labels: transitive Example: turn out potential voters 16. To leave one's work to take part in a strike. Labels: intransitive 17. To get out of bed; get up. Labels: colloquial, intransitive