turnover

American  

[turn-oh-ver] / ˈtɜrnˌoʊ vər /

noun

• turnovers
  plural

1. an act or result of turning over; upset.

2. change or movement of people, as tenants or customers, in, out, or through a place.

   The restaurant did a lively business and had a rapid turnover.

3. the aggregate of worker replacements in a given period in a given business or industry.

4. the ratio of the labor turnover to the average number of employees in a given period.

5. the total amount of business done in a given time.

6. the rate at which items are sold, especially with reference to the depletion of stock and replacement of inventory.

   Things are slow now, but they expect an increased turnover next month.

7. the number of times that capital is invested and reinvested in a line of merchandise during a specified period of time.

8. the turning over of the capital or stock of goods involved in a particular transaction or course of business.

9. the rate of processing or the amount of material that has undergone a particular process in a given period of time, as in manufacturing.

10. a change from one position, opinion, etc., to another, often to one that is opposed to that previously held.

11. a reorganization of a political organization, business, etc., especially one involving a change or shift of personnel.

12. a baked or deep-fried pastry with a sweet or savory filling in which half the dough is turned over the filling and the edges sealed to form a semicircle or triangle.

13. Basketball, Football. the loss of possession of the ball to the opponents, through misplays or infractions of the rules.

---

adjective

1. that is or may be turned over.

2. having a part that turns over, as a collar.

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• turnovers
  plural

Etymology

Origin of turnover

First recorded in 1605–15; noun use of verb phrase turn over

Explanation

When workers leave their jobs and are replaced by other workers, that's turnover. A totally different kind of turnover is a delicious baked good with a sweet filling. If an economist is talking about turnover, she probably means the rate at which a business loses employees, or how many jobs they have to fill over the course of a year. If that same economist is placing an order at a bakery, she may instead mean the flaky, triangle-shaped pastry that's wrapped around a fruit filling. In the work world, having a lot of turnover is a negative thing. In the pastry world, a high rate of turnovers doesn't sound bad at all.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

turnover turnovers

Instead of being based just on floor area, they are judged by a measure called Fair Maintainable Trade - which means when a pub's turnover increases, so does its rates bill.

From BBC ● Aug. 23, 2026

“This is the largest turnover we’ve ever had.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026

The median turnover for global large-cap funds was 28%.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 12, 2026

The mission said in an email that staff turnover was responsible for the requests not getting through.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 2026

The sugary, spicy smell of the apple turnover almost made her dizzy.

From "The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street" by Karina Yan Glaser

The Sparks finished the quarter with nine turnovers.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026

Still, Monken has done his best to strike a positive tone—even after his passers combined for three turnovers in a 34-10 preseason loss to the Bears.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026

The Sparks struggled to transition to the basket, giving up 19 turnovers resulting in 25 free baskets.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 7, 2026

The Spurs connected on just four of 20 shots in the third and coughed up five turnovers after having just two in the first half.

From Barron's ● Jun. 11, 2026

On the kitchen counter this morning is indeed an apple pie with a golden roof over it and a plate of turnovers.

From "I'll Give You the Sun" by Jandy Nelson

Related Words

• coup
• innovation
• insurgency
• mutiny
• rebellion
• revolt
• shift
• strike
• transformation
• turmoil
• unrest
• upheaval
• uprising
• violence