turn to — resort to (negative)
phrasal verbC1IELTS 7+neutraloccasional
to begin doing something undesirable, harmful, or morally questionable, especially as a way of coping with difficulties or when other options have failed
Say it like a native
Textbook Under pressure, he resorted to alcohol as a coping mechanism.
Native Under pressure, he turned to drink.
'Turn to' something harmful is the idiomatic way to describe resorting to it; 'resorted to as a coping mechanism' is clinical.
Pattern: turn to + noun (often negative: crime, violence, drugs, alcohol, theft, etc.)
In use
- After losing his job, he turned to gambling as a way to escape his problems.crime
- When people face prolonged unemployment, some may turn to crime as a means of survival, highlighting the need for effective social support systems.IELTS speaking
Common mistake
✗ She turned into crime.
✓ She turned to crime.
'Turn TO' (resort to), not 'turn into' (become).
Common collocations
turn to + vice— to drink, to crime, to drugs, to gambling
Don't confuse it
Unlike the B1 sense ('turn to someone for help'), this sense is not about seeking support but about resorting to a negative behavior or solution, often as a last resort.
Related
- turn to (to go to someone for help or advice) — 'turn to' also has the more basic meaning 'to go to someone for help or advice'; this is the advanced sense.