Meaning & use
a turnabout
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Meanings
nouncountable
A complete change of direction, opinion, or policy, often one that surprises people.
Grammar: Countable, so it needs a determiner: a turnabout, the turnabout, several turnabouts.
Patterns
- a turnabout in something
- a complete turnabout
- a sudden turnabout
The company's decision to close the factory was a complete turnabout from what it had promised.
Voters were surprised by the government's turnabout on tax policy.
After years of refusing to talk, his turnabout came suddenly.
nouncountable
The act of turning around so you face the opposite way, especially while driving or walking.
Grammar: Countable and often used with 'make' or 'do': make a turnabout.
Patterns
- make a turnabout
- do a turnabout
The driver made a quick turnabout at the end of the street.
She did a turnabout and walked back the way she had come.
nouncountableAmerican
A place where a road or path widens so that vehicles can turn around.
Grammar: Countable; in American English people usually call this a 'turnaround' or 'turnout'.
Patterns
- at the turnabout
- use the turnabout
There is a turnabout at the end of the lane where you can reverse.
The bus stopped at the turnabout near the school gate.
Word forms
| plural | turnabouts |
|---|
Common combinations
- a complete turnabout
- The sudden resignation was a complete turnabout for the team.
- a turnabout in policy
- There has been a turnabout in policy on student fees.
- a dramatic turnabout
- Her dramatic turnabout surprised everyone who knew her.
- make a turnabout
- The taxi made a turnabout and headed back to the station.
- a turnabout in fortunes
- The club's turnabout in fortunes came after a new coach arrived.
Synonyms and how they differ
- reversal
- Reversal is more formal and often used for decisions or judgments; turnabout sounds more conversational.
- U-turn
- U-turn is the usual British word for the driving sense, and it also works figuratively for a policy change.
- turnaround
- Turnaround is the more common American spelling for both the change and the place to turn a vehicle.
Word family
- turn around phrasal verb
- To face or move in the opposite direction, or to make something succeed after difficulty.
- turnaround noun
- An American spelling of the same idea: a change, or the time needed to finish a job.
Commonly confused: a turnabout or turnout? a turnabout or turnover?
a turnabout vs turnout
Turnout means the number of people who come to an event or vote; turnabout is about changing direction or policy.
a turnabout vs turnover
Turnover refers to money a business earns, or to how often staff leave; it is not a change of direction.
Practice
The minister's sudden ______ on the new law surprised even her own party.
Choose one answer.
'Turnabout' means a surprising change of position, which fits a minister changing her mind on a law. 'Turnout' is the number of people who attend or vote, 'turnover' is business income or staff changes, and 'turnstile' is a gate you walk through.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “a turnabout”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.