turnabout

noun

turn·​about ˈtərn-ə-ˌbau̇t 

1

a

: a change or reversal of direction, trend, policy, role, or character

b

: a changing from one allegiance to another

c

: turncoat, renegade

d

: an act or instance of retaliating

turnabout is fair play

2

: merry-go-round

Synonyms

• about-face
• about-turn [British]
• flip-flop
• reversal
• turnaround
• U-turn
• volte-face

Examples of turnabout in a Sentence

employees regarded the latest turnabout as a sure sign that management hadn't a clue as to what it was doing

Recent Examples on the Web

Pakistan’s frustrations with the Taliban represent a sharp turnabout. —Zia Ur-Rehman, New York Times, 1 Jan. 2025

Could an election spark such a dramatic turnabout for the nation’s entrepreneurs? —Paul Davidson, USA TODAY, 30 Dec. 2024

Cease, especially, could fetch solid prospects in return, a startling turnabout for the Padres, who in recent years have been the ones shoveling promising minor leaguers from their fertile farm system to others in exchange for win-now veterans. —Steve Henson, Los Angeles Times, 13 Dec. 2024

This was a turnabout for a commander who, Payne notes, previously endorsed the quiet regulation of red-light areas patronized by U.S. soldiers during the Mexican border war of 1916. —Rebecca Mead, The New Yorker, 9 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1710, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Phrases Containing turnabout

• turnabout is fair play

Kids Definition

turnabout

noun

turn·​about ˈtər-nə-ˌbau̇t 

: a change from one direction or one way of thinking or acting to the opposite