do an about-face

1. Also,. Reverse one's opinion or course of action. For example, The board did an about-face on acquiring more land, or We expected Dad to do a flip-flop concerning our vacation plans, or They had relied on Jim to vote for Harry, but he did a one-eighty and cast his vote for the incumbent. The first term, alluding to the army command to turn around, dates from the first half of the 1900s, and the variants from the second half of the 1900s (the last refers to a 180-degree change of direction).

Example Sentences

He said the only solution to stop MPD from hemorrhaging officers is for local legislators to do an about-face on all the restrictions they’ve implemented in recent years.

From Washington Times

Rep. Chip Roy, Texas Republican, said the bill would force Mr. Biden to do an about-face.

From Washington Times

But only a few months later, the Biden Justice Department seemed to do an about-face.

From Salon

This is after Mr. Hogan first announced to fanfare that the new bridge under construction would have bicycle and pedestrian facilities, only to do an about-face when construction was set to begin.

From Washington Post

In recent weeks, bipartisan pressure on Capitol Hill has forced the White House to do an about-face by banning Russian energy imports.

From Washington Times