rightabout

or right-a·bout

[ rahyt-uh-bout ]

/ ˈraɪt əˌbaʊt /

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noun

the position assumed by turning about to the right so as to face in the opposite direction.

the act of turning so as to face the opposite direction.

adverb

facing or in the opposite direction: Move that chair rightabout.

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Which of the following words describes “sky blue”?

navy

beryl

azure

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Origin of rightabout

First recorded in 1690–1700; right + about

Words nearby rightabout

rigging, rigging loft, Riggs' disease, right, rightable, rightabout, right about face, right and left, right angle, right-angled triangle, right ascension

How to use rightabout in a sentence

Now and then a wolf would approach, or a puma, or ocelot; but a shout would send them to the rightabout.
In the Wilds of Florida|W.H.G. Kingston
And as she spoke Naomi looked up, and sent her manager to the rightabout with a single stare of contempt and defiance.
The Boss of Taroomba|E. W. Hornung
When the last survivor of this strange wreck at sea was aboard the remaining boats, these crafts turned rightabout.
White Fire|Roy J. Snell
“My horse-whip will soon send them to the rightabout, should any of them venture to come near me,” he answered laughing.
Adventures in Australia|W.H.G. Kingston

I think we have got something to send them to the rightabout, if our shouts fail to drive them away.
Adventures in Africa|W.H.G. Kingston

British Dictionary definitions for rightabout

right about

noun

a turn executed through 180°

adjective, adverb

in the opposite direction

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012