clear the air vs turn back

clear the air and turn back both are verbs.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
clear the air	No	No	Yes	No
turn back	No	No	Yes	No

As verbs, turn back is a hypernym of clear the air; that is, turn back is a word with a broader meaning than clear the air:

clear the air: dispel differences or negative emotions
turn back: force to go away; used both with concrete and metaphoric meanings

Other hypernyms of clear the air include chase away, dispel, drive away, drive off, drive out, run off.

clear the air (verb)	turn back (verb)
dispel differences or negative emotions	go back to a previous state
	turn inside out or upside down
	hold back, as of a danger or an enemy; check the expansion or influence of
	retrace one's course
	force to go away; used both with concrete and metaphoric meanings