Young Aussie climber reaches the summit of Mount Everest

What does “forced to turn back” mean in English?

When dangerous weather stops a climber near the top of Everest, reporters say she was “forced to turn back.” The word “forced” tells you she did not choose to stop — something made her. “Turn back” means to stop going forward and go back the way you came. Together, the phrase describes any moment when an outside force — bad weather, a closed road, a full car park — ends your attempt before you finish.

In this clip, the reporter says that 18-year-old Bianca Adler tried to climb Everest the year before, but dangerous weather forced her to turn back “just 400 metres from the top.” That detail hurts: she was almost there, but an outside force stopped her completely. She came back the next year and reached the summit. You can use the same structure in everyday situations. “The road was flooded, so we were forced to turn back.” “The shop was closed, so they were forced to turn back.” You can also drop “forced” and just say “turn back”: “It was getting dark, so we turned back.” The opposite idea is to “keep going” or “press on” — which is exactly what Bianca did the second time.