Meaning trap
turn over
to give control or responsibility to someone
To officially give someone else control, responsibility, or ownership of something.
Don't mix these meanings
Same phrase, different job.
To officially give someone else control, responsibility, or ownership of something.
Another meaning of 'turn over' is 'to turn something so the other side is facing up'; compare the examples to keep the meanings separate.
Hear it in context
Notice where the phrase sounds natural.
After ten years, she turned over the company to her son.
When my manager retired, he turned over his duties to me, which was a big step in my career.
Fix the pattern
One small grammar move makes it sound right.
Not: He turned over the documents the police.
Say: He turned the documents over to the police.
'Turn ... over TO' the person who gets control.
Which sounds natural?
Tap the one a native speaker would say.
'Turn over' is the everyday verb for handing control to someone; 'relinquish control' is formal.
Build natural chunks
Words that usually travel with it.
turn over + to
- to the police
- the keys
- control
- the business
Don't confuse it
Related
Other meanings and phrases to compare.
- turn over (to turn something so the other side is facing up) — Another meaning of 'turn over' is 'to turn something so the other side is facing up'; compare the examples to keep the meanings separate.