turnabout

[ turn-uh-bout ]
See synonyms for turnabout on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. the act of turning in a different or opposite direction.

  2. a change of opinion, loyalty, etc.

  1. a reciprocal action; act of doing to someone exactly as that person has done to oneself or another: Turnabout is fair play.

  2. a person who changes things; a radical.

  3. Chiefly British. merry-go-round.

Origin of turnabout

1
First recorded in 1590–1600; noun use of verb phrase turn about

Words Nearby turnabout

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use turnabout in a sentence

  • That is—until there was a question of turnabout being fair play in a world where natives took their skinning literally!

    Skin Game | Charles E. Fritch
  • turnabout may not always be fair play in the gulfs between the stars.

    No Hiding Place | Richard R. Smith
  • In the course of its fighting the monster may have to turnabout.

    War and the Future | H. G. Wells

British Dictionary definitions for turnabout

turnabout

/ (ˈtɜːnəˌbaʊt) /


noun
  1. the act of turning so as to face a different direction

  2. a change or reversal of opinion, attitude, etc

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