Dictionary

turn around en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• (Australia) audio

Meanings

1. (alt-of, alternative, countable, uncountable) Alternative spelling of turnaround.
   alt of turnaround

Forms

turn around en · VERB

Pronunciation

• (Australia) audio

Meanings

1. (ergative) To physically rotate (usually around a vertical axis) for a half turn (180 degrees), a whole turn (360 degrees), or an indefinite amount.
   • ...and called him his father; this overpowered the brave man's heart, and obliged him to turn around, to prevent the tears that stood ready to gush from his eyes. 1756 November, Isaac Kimber, Edward Kimber, editors, The London magazine, or, Gentleman's monthly intelligencer, volume 25, page 517:
   • The world turns around once every twenty-four hours.
   • Turn around once or twice so I can see your new dress.
   • A wheel turns around on an axle.
   • At the end of the road, we turned around and walked back to the hotel.
   • If you kids don't cut it out I will turn this car around!
2. (figuratively, transitive) 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.
   • Seeing the British establishment struggle with the financial sector is like watching an alcoholic who still resists the idea that something drastic needs to happen for him to turn his life around. 2013 June 28, Joris Luyendijk, “Our banks are out of control”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 189, number 3, page 21:
3. (transitive) 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.
   • They were way ahead but the game turned around on them and they lost 4–3.
   • It took changes from Wenger and a rare defensive lapse from Everton before Arsenal finally turned the game around with two goals in the space of five minutes. 2011 February 1, Phil McNulty, “Arsenal 2-1 Everton”, in BBC:
   • The team really turned it around in the second half for a great win.
   • Pollard, who went into the semifinals with an unsatisfactory 63% return from the kicking tee, turned it around splendidly against Wales and he continued that form despite missing his first attempt in the final. 2019 November 3, Liam de Carme, “Boks, you beauties”, in Sunday Times:
   • The new management team has really turned the company around 180 degrees, and they expect a good profit next year.
4. (transitive) 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. 2014, Joseph DiMona, To the Eagle's Nest:
5. (colloquial, idiomatic, intransitive) 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.
6. (idiomatic, of an idea, transitive) To consider from a different viewpoint.
   • Let's turn that around and look at it from another angle.
7. (colloquial, idiomatic, transitive) (often with a unit of time) To produce; to output; to generate.
   • We can turn around 500 units by next week.
   • Typically, this meant that the teams were turning around two sets a week, with a train rolling into the depot on a Sunday for what Hinze describes as a "big strip-out". This would pull the carriages back almost to the bare bones. 2025 July 23, Richard Wilcock, “A new dawn for the Electrostars”, in RAIL, number 1040, page 27:

Forms

Deriveds

whenever one turns around · turn one's life around · turn-around · every time one turns around · get turned around · turn the boat around

Synonyms

twirl

Translations (65)

gl dar unha volta (transitive: to physically rotate horizontally 360 degrees) · ru разверну́ться (transitive: to physically rotate horizontally 360 degrees) · pl odwracać się (transitive: to change to the opposite opinion or position) · fi kääntää toisinpäin (idiomatic: to consider from a different viewpoint) · es voltear (intransitive: to physically rotate horizontally 180 degrees) · fi muuttaa mielensä (transitive: to change to the opposite opinion or position) · it tornare indietro (transitive: to change to the opposite opinion or position) · pt virar (transitive: to change to the opposite opinion or position) · be абарача́цца (transitive: to physically rotate horizontally 360 degrees) · fr retourner (transitive: to physically rotate horizontally 360 degrees) · fi pyörähtää (transitive: to physically rotate horizontally 360 degrees) · fr se retourner (transitive: to change to the opposite opinion or position) · ar اِسْتَدَارَ (transitive: to physically rotate horizontally 360 degrees) · es voltearse (intranstive: to suddenly change or reverse one's opinion) · pl obrócić się (transitive: to physically rotate horizontally 360 degrees) · it girare (transitive: to physically rotate horizontally 360 degrees) · fi kääntää (to reverse an expected outcome) · gl virar (transitive: to change to the opposite opinion or position) · sv vända (transitive: to physically rotate horizontally 360 degrees) · hy փոխել (transitive: to change to the opposite opinion or position) · de umdrehen (transitive: to change to the opposite opinion or position) · ro răsuci (transitive: to physically rotate horizontally 360 degrees) · es voltear (transitive: to physically rotate horizontally 180 degrees) · ar تَلَفَّتَ (transitive: to physically rotate horizontally 360 degrees) · el γυρίζω (transitive: to change to the opposite opinion or position) · cmn 轉身 /转身 (transitive: to physically rotate horizontally 360 degrees) · ru развора́чиваться (transitive: to physically rotate horizontally 360 degrees) · pt rodar (transitive: to physically rotate horizontally 360 degrees) · pt girar (transitive: to physically rotate horizontally 360 degrees) · fi kääntää (idiomatic: to effect a positive reversal of a trend) · pl obracać się (transitive: to physically rotate horizontally 360 degrees) · ro roti (transitive: to physically rotate horizontally 360 degrees) · ru измени́ться (transitive: to change to the opposite opinion or position) · pt dar uma volta (transitive: to physically rotate horizontally 360 degrees) · tr çevirmek (to reverse an expected outcome) · es darle una vuelta (transitive: to physically rotate horizontally 360 degrees) · it svoltare (to reverse an expected outcome) · sv vända (transitive: to change to the opposite opinion or position) · el γυρίζω (transitive: to physically rotate horizontally 360 degrees) · ja 振り向く (transitive: to physically rotate horizontally 360 degrees) · ar اِلْتَفَتَ (transitive: to physically rotate horizontally 360 degrees) · mi huriaro (transitive: to physically rotate horizontally 360 degrees) · mi hurikiko (transitive: to physically rotate horizontally 360 degrees) · da vende sig om (transitive: to physically rotate horizontally 360 degrees) · fi valmistaa (idiomatic: to produce; to output; to generate) · es darle vuelta (transitive: to physically rotate horizontally 180 degrees) · pt dar a volta por cima (to reverse an expected outcome) · es dar(se) vuelta (intransitive: to physically rotate horizontally 180 degrees) · da vende om (transitive: to physically rotate horizontally 360 degrees) · gl dar a volta (transitive: to change to the opposite opinion or position) · ru изменя́ться (transitive: to change to the opposite opinion or position) · fi pyörähtää ympäri (transitive: to physically rotate horizontally 360 degrees) · fi harkita toisesta näkökulmasta (idiomatic: to consider from a different viewpoint) · ko 회전하다 (transitive: to physically rotate horizontally 360 degrees) · es virar (intranstive: to suddenly change or reverse one's opinion) · de umdrehen (transitive: to physically rotate horizontally 360 degrees) · be абярну́цца (transitive: to physically rotate horizontally 360 degrees) · ang bewendan (transitive: to physically rotate horizontally 360 degrees) · tr döndürmek (to reverse an expected outcome) · be абараці́цца (transitive: to physically rotate horizontally 360 degrees) · it girarsi (transitive: to physically rotate horizontally 360 degrees) · nl omdraaien (transitive: to physically rotate horizontally 360 degrees) · pl odwrócić się (transitive: to change to the opposite opinion or position) · es dar(se) una vuelta (intransitive: to physically rotate horizontally 360 degrees) · ro reîntoarce (transitive: to change to the opposite opinion or position)