turnabout

turn·about | \ ˈtərn-ə-ˌbau̇t

How to pronounce turnabout (audio)

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Definition of turnabout

1a : 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

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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 The turnabout in manufacturing cheered investors, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average gaining about 1% in Monday morning trading. — CBS News, "Stocks up as U.S. manufacturing expands for first time since July," 3 Feb. 2020 The best case for what the Democrats are doing now is that Republicans impeached Clinton in the 1990s with little or no hope for conviction in the Senate, and turnabout is fair play. — Rich Lowry, National Review, "Removal Would Be Insane," 24 Jan. 2020 Yet despite the seemingly always changing nutrition landscape and turnabouts in opinion — and setting aside tribalistic views — there’s actually a lot of agreement in the nutrition world. — Samantha Cassetty, NBC News, "What science says about the best way to eat (and what we're still figuring out)," 30 Dec. 2019 Advocates for pain treatment have complained that this turnabout has gone too far, and the CDC recently advised doctors against suddenly discontinuing opioids. — David Armstrong, ProPublica, "Inside Purdue Pharma’s Media Playbook: How It Planted the Opioid “Anti-Story”," 19 Nov. 2019 The turnabout by the administration came amid a backlash at its decision over the summer to exempt more oil refineries from a requirement to include ethanol, a biofuel often derived from corn, in their blends. — BostonGlobe.com, "PRIMGHAR, Iowa — In measured but increasingly impatient tones, Midwestern farmers and politicians delivered a message to President Trump: Fix the policies hurting corn prices and prompting ethanol plants to close, or risk alienating one of the most loyal parts of your political base.," 8 Oct. 2019 The turnabout by the administration came amid a backlash at its decision over the summer to exempt more oil refineries from a requirement to include ethanol, a biofuel often derived from corn, in their blends. — Mitch Smith, New York Times, "A Trump Policy Shift Gives Farmers in Key 2020 States ‘Exactly What We Wanted’," 7 Oct. 2019 While turnabout seems fair play, that just isn’t the American Way. — Pat Lenhoff, chicagotribune.com, "Column: America still is great. But my European vacation allowed me to reassess what it does best.," 19 June 2019 The turnabout illustrates how the fashion industry, which once eyed Alibaba with suspicion, is now flocking to it in order to reach China’s luxury-hungry shoppers. — Marc Bain, Quartzy, "Alibaba’s Tmall is becoming luxury fashion’s online gateway to China," 9 Oct. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'turnabout.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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turnabout is fair play

turn and bank indicator

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Last Updated

10 Feb 2020

Cite this Entry

“Turnabout.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/turnabout. Accessed 22 Feb. 2020.

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