Synonyms of U-turnnext
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

an abrupt U-turn of her support for the candidate after hearing the news of his misdeeds
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
L’Amas made a U-turn, turned on his lights and the vehicle pulled over in a strip mall parking lot on the south side of 167th Street, the police report said. Addison Wright, Chicago Tribune, 15 Apr. 2026 Two vessels that passed through the Strait of Hormuz stopped at the same point in the Gulf of Oman, according to Kpler, a data intelligence and analytics platform, with one vessel having made a U-turn back through the waterway. Charbel Mallo, CNN Money, 15 Apr. 2026 The Rich Starry—a Chinese tanker that tried to make a break for it yesterday—did a U-turn and is now back inside the strait. Jim Edwards, Fortune, 15 Apr. 2026 Waymo said the car was trying to make a U-turn to clear the way, and a nearby police officer helped. Matthew Ablon, CBS News, 13 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for U-turn

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

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“U-turn.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/U-turn. Accessed 21 Apr. 2026.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster