Meaning & use
hairpin turn
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Meanings
nouncountable
A very sharp bend in a road, shaped like a U, that forces vehicles to turn back in the opposite direction.
Grammar: Countable; you can say 'a hairpin turn' or 'hairpin turns'.
Patterns
- a hairpin turn
- drive around a hairpin turn
- hairpin turns on a mountain road
The road up the mountain has many hairpin turns.
He slowed down before the hairpin turn.
We nearly missed the hairpin turn in the fog.
nouncountablefigurative
A sudden, complete change in direction, policy, or behavior.
Grammar: Often used figuratively in news or business writing.
Patterns
- a hairpin turn in policy
- make a hairpin turn
- take a hairpin turn
The company made a hairpin turn in its marketing strategy.
The story takes a hairpin turn near the end.
His career took a hairpin turn after the accident.
Word forms
| plural | hairpin turns |
|---|
Common combinations
- sharp hairpin turn
- The sign warned drivers of a sharp hairpin turn ahead.
- hairpin turn on a road
- There is a dangerous hairpin turn on this road.
- take a hairpin turn
- The car took the hairpin turn too fast.
- a series of hairpin turns
- The rally driver handled a series of hairpin turns perfectly.
Synonyms and how they differ
- switchback
- A road or path that goes up a steep slope in a series of sharp bends; a hairpin turn is one such bend.
- U-turn
- A complete turn to go back the way you came, often on a straight road; a hairpin turn is a bend in the road itself.
- bend
- A general word for a curve in a road; a hairpin turn is specifically very sharp.
Opposites
Word family
- hairpin noun
- A thin, U-shaped pin used to hold hair in place.
Commonly confused: hairpin turn or U-turn?
hairpin turn vs U-turn
A U-turn is a maneuver where a vehicle turns around, often on a straight road; a hairpin turn is a sharp bend in the road itself.
Practice
What is a 'hairpin turn'?
Choose one answer.
A hairpin turn is a sharp, U-shaped bend in a road. The other options confuse the word with a literal hairpin or other meanings.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “hairpin turn”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.