turn around
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turn around
noun turn arounds
- Alternative spelling of turnaround
verb turns around · turning around · turned around
-
To physically rotate (usually around a vertical axis) for a half turn (180 degrees), a whole turn (360 degrees), or an indefinite amount.
At the end of the road, we turned around and walked back to the hotel.
Similar: twirl
- To change drastically in a fundamental way, often for the better; to change to the opposite (opinion or position). She turned her position around and now she is in favor of the merger.
- To reverse an expected outcome (of a game, etc.), usually from a losing outcome to a winning one; to return (a business, department, etc.) to effectiveness, profitability, etc. The new management team has really turned the company around 180 degrees, and they expect a good profit next year.
- To convert (an agent) to work for one's own side. Some months ago, the Captain had come to the FBI with a story that he had been contacted by Soviet agents, and the FBI had “turned him around” and used him to plant false and specially made up classified material of no importance on the Soviets.
- To suddenly change or reverse one's opinion, point of view, stated position, behaviour, etc. You can't just turn around and say that it was all my fault.
- To consider from a different viewpoint. Let's turn that around and look at it from another angle.
- (often with a unit of time) To produce; to output; to generate. We can turn around 500 units by next week.
Translations
Every language
verb transitive: to physically rotate horizontally 360 degrees
| Español | darle una vuelta |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 회전하다 hoejeonhada |
| 日本語 | 振り向く furimuku |
| 中文 | 轉身 /转身 zhuǎnshēn |
| Português | rodar, girar, dar uma volta |
| Français | retourner |
| Deutsch | umdrehen |
| Italiano | girare, girarsi |
| Ελληνικά | γυρίζω gyrízo |
| Română | roti, răsuci |
| Русский | развора́чиваться razvoráčivatʹsja, разверну́ться razvernútʹsja |
| العربية | اِلْتَفَتَ iltafata, اِسْتَدَارَ istadāra, تَلَفَّتَ talaffata |
verb intransitive: to physically rotate horizontally 360 degrees
| Español | dar(se) una vuelta |
|---|
verb transitive: to physically rotate horizontally 180 degrees
| Español | darle vuelta, voltear |
|---|
verb intransitive: to physically rotate horizontally 180 degrees
| Español | dar(se) vuelta la, voltear |
|---|
verb transitive: to change to the opposite opinion or position
| Português | virar |
|---|---|
| Français | se retourner |
| Deutsch | umdrehen |
| Italiano | tornare indietro |
| Ελληνικά | γυρίζω gyrízo |
| Română | reîntoarce |
| Русский | изменя́ться izmenjátʹsja, измени́ться izmenítʹsja |
verb to reverse an expected outcome
| Português | dar a volta por cima |
|---|---|
| Italiano | svoltare |
Talk about this word "turn around." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/turn%20around. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. turn around. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/turn%20around "turn around." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/turn%20around.Cite this
@misc{turn_around_2026,
title = {turn around},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/turn%20around},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
