turn one's hand to

verb

To adapt or apply oneself to; to engage in; to undertake.

“Having failed as a musician, I turned my hand to pottery instead.”

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Meanings

verbturn one's hand to (third-person singular simple present turns one's hand to, present participle turning one's hand to, simple past and past participle turned one's hand to)

present singular third person turns one's hand to · participle present turning one's hand to · participle past turned one's hand to · past turned one's hand to · alternative put one's hand to · alternative set one's hand to

  1. To adapt or apply oneself to; to engage in; to undertake.

    Having failed as a musician, I turned my hand to pottery instead.

Cite this entry
APA

turn one's hand to. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/turn%20one's%20hand%20to

MLA

“turn one's hand to.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/turn%20one's%20hand%20to. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “turn one's hand to,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/turn%20one's%20hand%20to.

Source: turn one's hand to on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.