turnabout

noun

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turn·about | \ ˈtərn-ə-ˌbau̇t

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

Synonyms Example Sentences Phrases Containing turnabout Learn More About turnabout

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 But the great turnabout came in a meeting in the Governor’s Mansion in Little Rock about two weeks before Clinton was even inaugurated. — Walter Shapiro, The New Republic, 27 June 2022 The turnabout pushed Cheniere to near bankruptcy — a reminder of how the kind of long-term bets industry is again making now can sour. — Washington Post, 21 Apr. 2022 The turnabout came amid rising opposition to the reinstatement, but city officials said the decision was about data, not politics. — Compiled Democrat-gazette Staff From Wire Reports, Arkansas Online, 4 May 2022 Problems at Old Navy are a turnabout for a brand that was once considered so strong that Gap considered spinning it off into a standalone company in 2018. — Nathaniel Meyersohn, CNN, 22 Apr. 2022 Line prosecutors told The Times the turnabout was especially galling because the jail recordings have been known inside the district attorney’s office for at least a month and did not alter Gascón’s approach previously. — Harriet Ryan, Los Angeles Times, 21 Feb. 2022 The measure is a follow-up to last year’s decision by API to push Congress for legislation to price carbon emissions across the economy, in what was a policy turnabout a decade after the organization helped to kill a similar plan. — Timothy Puko And Ted Mann, WSJ, 21 Apr. 2022 The prosecutor’s action represents a significant turnabout by the government of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. — Washington Post, 31 Mar. 2022 The favorable reception from members of both parties is rare in a divided Capitol, and marks a significant turnabout. — Sheryl Gay Stolberg, New York Times, 4 Feb. 2022 See More

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.