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.

As Simon Elliott describes in his biography “The African Emperor,” Severus was a mercurial and contradictory character, capable by turns of savagery, cunning, wit and generosity, and always blessed with a sense of the theatrical.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 19, 2026

“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

After waiting by turns for three hours the queue disperses.

From "All Quiet on the Western Front: A Novel" by Erich Maria Remarque