about face
1 Americaninterjection
noun
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Military. a turn of 180° from the position of attention.
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a complete, sudden change in position, direction, principle, attitude, etc..
They've done an about-face in their foreign policy.
verb (used without object)
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to execute an about face.
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to turn in the opposite direction.
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to switch to an opposite opinion.
Etymology
Origin of about face1
An Americanism dating back to 1860–65
Origin of about-face2
An Americanism dating back to 1860–65
Explanation
An about-face is a turn in the opposite direction. If you're halfway to school when you realize you forgot your lunch, you may have enough time to make an about-face, run home, and grab it. A literal about-face, when you pivot your body to face 180 degrees away from where you started, has a military origin. About-face is a drill command that's given to a group of marching soldiers, who must turn in a smooth, synchronized way to face the opposite direction. Figuratively, an about-face can be an abrupt change of belief, opinion, or practice — like your friend whose diet leans heavily on fast-food hamburgers until he does an about-face and becomes a vegetarian.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“Especially given the about face on the prior China restrictions, we are optimistic that quarterly China sales could stabilize sooner rather than later,” Chin said.
From MarketWatch • Nov. 14, 2025
Treating people who use opioids as deserving of the same right to healthcare as any other American demands an about face to the way methadone is delivered.
From Salon • Sep. 30, 2023
In his court filing, Drummond explained that the state’s about face was the result of another independent review of the Glossip case that his office had commissioned in January of this year.
From Slate • Apr. 7, 2023
The Telegraph reports that former Prime Minister Boris Johnson had asked for advice about face coverings in schools.
From BBC • Mar. 1, 2023
They talk about face shape and skin tone, and they point out a bunch of kids who are wearing the wrong colors for their complexions.
From "The Thing About Jellyfish" by Ali Benjamin
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
