as in reversal
a changing from one policy or point of view to virtually its exact opposite
more than one London newspaper accused the prime minister of doing an about-turn on the issue
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Recent Examples of about-turn
Under Leahy’s watch, Glossier launched at Sephora in February 2023, marking an about-turn from its prior DTC strategy and adopting a more traditional retail playbook.
—
Kathryn Hopkins, Footwear News, 3 Sep. 2019
Also on March 10, a federal judge ruled that the department is required to make its records public, an about-turn for the agency that has been mired in secrecy, according to Forbes.
—Sam Gillette, People.com, 12 Mar. 2025
The announcement is a dramatic about-turn for a Republican president.
—Hannah Parry, Newsweek, 13 Feb. 2025
Trent makes an about-turn and decides to follow the light.
—Vulture, 22 Mar. 2023
Kathryn Hopkins, Footwear News, 3 Sep. 2019
Also on March 10, a federal judge ruled that the department is required to make its records public, an about-turn for the agency that has been mired in secrecy, according to Forbes.
—Sam Gillette, People.com, 12 Mar. 2025
The announcement is a dramatic about-turn for a Republican president.
—Hannah Parry, Newsweek, 13 Feb. 2025
Trent makes an about-turn and decides to follow the light.
—Vulture, 22 Mar. 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for about-turn
Noun
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Under this thinking, the U.S. has gotten used to outperforming global markets for years, so a months-long reversal is not necessarily catastrophic.—
Rafael Nam,
NPR,
7 July 2025
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The reversal comes after a recent Supreme Court ruling regarding transgender issues, prompting the appeals court to request new briefs from both sides.—
Alec Johnson,
jsonline.com,
3 July 2025
Noun
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Britain is not the only country pressed into making a volte-face.—
London Business School,
Forbes,
24 Feb. 2025
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The realities of Putin’s momentum, coupled with Washington’s volte-face, have led to a clear mood shift in Kyiv.—
Daryna Mayer,
NBC News,
13 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“About-turn.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/about-turn. Accessed 18 Jul. 2025.
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