volte-face

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volte-face

/vɒltˈfæs/
/-ˈfɑːs/

Rhymes with -æs

Where it comes from

Borrowed from French volte-face.

noun volte-faces · volte face

A reversal of attitude, policy, or principle. Psychoanalysis has sprung many surprises on us, performed more than one volte face before our indignant eyes.
Similar: about-face, U-turn
A dramatic change in mood or tone. Shakespeare often used volte-faces in the rhyming couplets at the end of his sonnets.

Translations

Every language

noun reversal of attitude, policy, or principle

Español	media vuelta
中文	变卦 biàn guà
Português	reviravolta
Français	volte-face, demi-tour, marche arrière, revirement
Deutsch	Kehrtwende
Italiano	voltafaccia, voltagabbana, traditore, banderuola, voltacasacca
Русский	круто́й поворо́т krutój povorót, резкая переме́на rezkaja pereména
Tiếng Việt	trở mặt

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MLA

"volte-face." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/volte-face. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

volte-face. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/volte-face

Chicago

"volte-face." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/volte-face.

BibTeX

@misc{volte_face_2026,
  title = {volte-face},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/volte-face},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}