turnover

1 of 3

noun

turn·​over ˈtərn-ˌō-vər 

1

a(1)

: the amount received in sales for a stated period

(2)

: the ratio of sales for a stated period to average inventory

(3)

: a cycle of purchase, sale, and replacement of a stock of goods

b

: the number of persons hired within a period to replace those leaving or dropped from a workforce

also : the ratio of this number to the number in the average force maintained

c

: movement (as of goods or people) into, through, and out of a place

2

: the amount of business done

especially : the volume of shares traded on a stock exchange

3

: the act or an instance of a team's losing possession of a ball through error or a minor violation of the rules (as in basketball or football)

4

: a filled pastry made by folding half of the crust over the other half

5

: an act or result of turning over : upset

6

: a turning from one side, place, or direction to its opposite : shift, reversal

7

: a reorganization with a view to a shift in personnel : shake-up

8

: something that is turned over

9

: the continuous process of loss and replacement of a constituent (such as a cell or tissue) of a living system

turnover

2 of 3

adjective

: capable of being turned over

turn over

3 of 3

verb

turned over; turning over; turns over

transitive verb

1

a

: to turn from an upright position : overturn

b

: rotate

turn over a stiff valve with a wrench

also : to cause (an internal combustion engine) to begin firing

2

: deliver, surrender

I'm turning the job over to you

also : to lose possession of

turned the ball over three times

3

a

: to do business to the amount of

turning over $1000 a week

b

: to receive and dispose of (a stock of merchandise)

4

: to search (clothes, papers, etc.) by lifting or moving one by one

5

: to read or examine (something, such as a book) slowly or idly

intransitive verb

1

: upset, capsize

2

a

: rotate

b

of an engine : to have crankshaft rotation especially by external means (as by a starter)

the engine turned over but didn't start

3

a

of one's stomach : to heave with nausea

b

of one's heart : to seem to leap or lurch convulsively with sudden fright

Phrases

turn over a new leaf

: to make a change for the better especially in one's way of living

Synonyms

Verb

• cede
• cough up
• deliver
• give up
• hand over
• lay down
• relinquish
• render
• surrender
• turn in
• yield

Examples of turnover in a Sentence

Noun

The company had an increase in turnover this quarter.

The company has a high turnover rate.

We want to find ways to speed up inventory turnover.

Verb

reluctantly turned the ship over to the first mate while he went below to try to stop the leak

turned the evidence over to the police

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Leonard scored 26 points, James Harden scored 16 points, with nine assists, six rebounds and four turnovers, and Russell Westbrook had eight points, seven assists, six rebounds and four turnovers off the bench. —Andrew Greif, Los Angeles Times, 23 Nov. 2023

Preview Subscribe Miller said in this interest rate environment with low homeowner turnover, the company is anticipating that life events such as getting married and having children will spur spending on home goods. —Jennifer Williams-Alvarez, WSJ, 19 Nov. 2023

The Toreros forced four turnovers, returned an interception and kickoff for touchdowns on the way to routing Stetson 47-20 on Saturday in DeLand, Fla. —Don Norcross, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 Nov. 2023

Black women were the only demographic whose turnover and promotion rates were significantly affected by the racial identity of their coworkers. —Ruth Umoh, Fortune, 15 Nov. 2023

The session discussed changes such as staggering terms, making the board smaller, eliminating district seats and increasing term length to try to limit board member and staff turnover. —Karina Elwood, Washington Post, 15 Nov. 2023

Damian Cabrera didn’t take long to make up for the turnover. —Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 10 Nov. 2023

Romero said there is no data available regarding department turnover. —Lauren J. Mapp, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Nov. 2023

If a firm is found to be in breach, Ofcom can levy fines of up to £18 million (around $22 million) or 10 percent of worldwide turnover — whichever is higher. —Jon Porter, The Verge, 9 Nov. 2023

Verb

Two weeks later, the housing authority's board voted to demand that all personnel previously involved with the nonprofit turn over banking information, passwords for accounting software and more no later than Nov. 13. —Joseph Flaherty, arkansasonline.com, 22 Nov. 2023

Steinberg has declined to comment and the investigation is ongoing after the case was turned over to the Los Angeles County Juvenile Division. —Ben Bolch, Los Angeles Times, 15 Nov. 2023

In June, an appellate court ordered the N.Y.P.D. to turn over detailed information about a facial-recognition search that had led a Queens resident named Francisco Arteaga to be charged with robbing a store. —Eyal Press, The New Yorker, 13 Nov. 2023

Later, the mayor's office turned over more devices. —Aaron Katersky, ABC News, 10 Nov. 2023

Smith told Cannon in a filing last month that the government has turned over to the defense roughly 5,431 pages of classified material, plus four discs of photographs, audio recordings and material pulled from electronic devices. —Melissa Quinn, CBS News, 10 Nov. 2023

Portrayed as a repentant man who has turned over a new leaf after being inspired by his favorite Bible passage 1 Corinthians 5:17, Edima feels compelled to take revenge for his son’s death after failing to convince authorities his son is innocent. —Chinedu Asadu, Fortune, 22 Oct. 2023

This game could unfold in a similar manner, putting an emphasis on patience, quicker passes and not turning over the football. —Jeff Miller, Los Angeles Times, 10 Nov. 2023

He was turned over to the Sheriff’s Department, as was the vehicle and gun. —Kristina Davis, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Nov. 2023

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Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1660, in the meaning defined at sense 5

Adjective

1605, in the meaning defined above

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Kids Definition

turnover

1 of 2 noun

turn·​over

ˈtər-ˌnō-vər

1

: an act or the action of turning over

2

: a filled pastry with one half of the crust turned over the other

3

a

: movement (as of people) into, through, and out of a place

b

: the purchase, sale, and replacement of a stock of goods (as in a store)

c

: the number of persons hired to replace those leaving

turn over

2 of 2 verb

ˌtər-ˈnō-vər,

ˈtər-

1

: to shift in position from upright to upside down

2

a

: to give to another to take care of : hand over

b

: to lose possession of

turned the ball over three times

3

of one's stomach : to feel sick

4

: to begin or cause to begin to run

turned over the engine

Medical Definition

turnover

noun

turn·​over ˈtər-ˌnō-vər 

: the continuous process of loss and replacement of a constituent (as a neurotransmitter, cell, or tissue) of a living system

protein turnover in various pathological states

—J. C. Waterlow

hyperthyroidism accelerates bone turnover and shortens the normal bone remodeling cycle

—Richard Sadovsky