Synonyms

turn the tables

Cultural

To reverse a situation and gain the upper hand: “After trailing the entire first quarter, the team rallied and finally turned the tables.”

turn the tables Idioms

Reverse a situation and gain the upper hand, as in Steffi won their previous three matches but today Mary turned the tables and prevailed. This expression alludes to the former practice of reversing the table or board in games such as chess, thereby switching the opponents' positions. [c. 1600]

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turn the tables

Websites like DeFlock, FlockHopper and HaveIBeenFlocked purport to turn the tables on Flock by posting camera locations and helping residents elude them.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 26, 2026

But a war for control of the Strait of Hormuz would likely turn the tables.

From Slate ● Apr. 1, 2026

Newsom took the opportunity to turn the tables on the president.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 17, 2026

“I said, ‘I’m going to turn the tables and surprise them,’” she revealed.

From MarketWatch ● Feb. 6, 2026

Sometimes he could even turn the tables and bend ghosts to his will.

From "Blood of Olympus" by Rick Riordan

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

turn the tables

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