1
: a turn resembling the letter U
especially : a 180-degree turn made by a vehicle in a road
2
: something (such as a reversal of policy) resembling a U-turn

Examples of U-turn in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The worker watched the van make a U-turn on West Charleston Road and then head southbound on El Camino Real. Bradford Betz, Fox News, 26 Feb. 2024 The configuration eliminates left turns by having motorists make a right turn, then doing a U-turn a couple hundred feet later. John Tuohy, The Indianapolis Star, 23 Feb. 2024 In the case at hand, according to the appellate ruling, San Diego police Officer Ryan Cameron drove past a car on El Cajon Boulevard in January 2022, then quickly made a U-turn and pulled the car over. Teri Figueroa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Feb. 2024 Magnetic fields with opposite polarities can cancel each other out and make a U-turn, shooting off in a new direction. Rebecca Boyle, Scientific American, 20 Feb. 2024 But Finns changed their minds after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, in a rapid U-turn that led to the country joining NATO in April last year. Reuters, CNN, 12 Feb. 2024 In a bid to escape the gunfire, the assailants made a U-turn against a red light at the intersection and collided with another car traveling east on East 18th Street, according to police. Jason Green, The Mercury News, 7 Feb. 2024 Fink attempted to make a U-turn to follow the Kia after the suspect made a U-turn and began driving in the wrong direction. Pilar Arias, Fox News, 4 Feb. 2024 Fink attempted to make a U-turn to follow the Kia after the suspect, after failing to stop for troopers, made a U-turn and began driving in the wrong direction. Brie Stimson, Fox News, 3 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'U-turn.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1906, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of U-turn was in 1906

Dictionary Entries Near U-turn

Cite this Entry

“U-turn.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/U-turn. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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