Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. to beat up.

1972

B. Rodgers Queens’ Vernacular 201: turn somebody out (pros sl) to beat sadistically.

2. (US black) to cause trouble, e.g. at a party, in school, to turn a place over.

1935		(con. late 1920s) L. Hughes Little Ham IIi ii: I done broke down one door tonight, and I’ll turn this place out, too.
1940		Davis & Dollard Children of Bondage 37: She was friendly with boys who [...] ‘turned out’ house parties by hurling bricks through the windows.
1980		E. Folb Runnin’ Down Some Lines 48: If you don’ wan’ me to commence to turnin’ dis school out, you git me my transfer! [Ibid.] 259: turn (something) out Permanently break up something – a party or other social function – usually through belligerent behavior.
1993		K. Scott Monster (1994) 82: ‘Turning out’ means to disrupt with violence.

3. (US black) to dominate, to take over.

1953		L. Durst Jives of Dr. Hepcat (1989) 10: To get in a mellow groove you gotta know how to move. You riff low and you riff high. Then you jump frantic high and fly. Then statue while Frankenstein wheels his line and King Kong rumbles his song. Then all the weird people will raise a shout, somebody is turning this joint out.
1963		M. Braly Shake Him Till He Rattles (1964) 143: You know you can’t turn out a broad that doesn’t want to turn.
1988		R.R. Moore ‘Hurricane Annie’ 🎵 Cause all down South they call me ‘Dolemite: the big boss,’ / I really work out! / And I bet $100 you ain’t got a whore that can turn me out!
1994		N. McCall Makes Me Wanna Holler (1995) 289: The boys entered the contest and turned it out.
1999		Dr Dre ‘Let’s Get High’ 🎵 No doubt, sit back on the couch / Pants down, rubber on, set to turn that ass out.
2002		‘Touré’ Portable Promised Land (ms.) 157: We Words (My Favorite Things) [...] Be out. Played out. Turned out. Thugged out.