tables have turned

Meaning

1. 1phraseidiomfigurative

   The situation has reversed, so that the person or group who was weaker is now stronger, and the other way round.

   Grammar: Fixed phrase with a plural noun: the tables have turned; do not say 'the table has turned'.

   Patterns

   • the tables have turned on someone
   • now the tables have turned

   He used to boss me around, but now I'm his manager, so the tables have turned.

   Our small team once begged for their business; now the tables have turned and they call us first.

   For years the home side dominated, but this season the tables have turned.

Common combinations

the tables have turned on

The tables have turned on the bully now that he has to ask for help.

now the tables have turned

Now the tables have turned, and she is the one setting the rules.

how the tables have turned

How the tables have turned, he thought as he took her seat.

suddenly the tables turned

Suddenly the tables turned and the underdogs took the lead.

Synonyms and how they differ

roles reversed

Roles reversed is a plain description, while the tables have turned adds a lively, slightly dramatic sense of fair reversal.

the boot is on the other foot

This British idiom stresses that someone now faces what they once did to others, which the tables have turned does not always imply.

fortunes reversed

Fortunes reversed is more formal and tends to describe luck or wealth, not who holds power.

Opposites

Word family

turn the tables phrase

to reverse a situation so you gain the advantage

turnaround noun

a complete reversal of a situation

reversal noun

a change to the opposite position

Commonly confused: tables have turned or turn the tables?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “tables have turned”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

Explore more words