by turns

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

“Billy Preston: That’s the Way God Planned It” is, by turns, heartbreaking and inspirational.

From Salon • Feb. 20, 2026

All weekend long, the headlines out of Minneapolis have captured a moment that is by turns alarming and bizarre.

From Slate • Jan. 20, 2026

As in Samuel Beckett’s tragicomic theater and novels, Tarr’s movies, by turns funny and heartbreaking, dignify human struggle with an uncommon tenacity of vision and empathy.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 8, 2026

Where “Warhead” does look ahead, it is by turns thought-provoking and terrifying.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 10, 2025

In letters that were passionate and practical by turns, they did whatever they could to elide the miles between them.

From "The Woman All Spies Fear" by Amy Butler Greenfield