volte-face
[ volt-fahs, vohlt-; French vawltuh-fas ]
/ vɒltˈfɑs, voʊlt-; French vɔltəˈfas /
noun, plural volte-face.
a turnabout, especially a reversal of opinion or policy.
RELATED CONTENT
RELATED WORDS
annulment, U-turn, cancellation, switch, turnaround, repeal, turnabout, reversal, flip-flop, denial, repudiation, disclaimer, disavowal, whirl, swivel, rotate, depend, veer, twirl, wiggle
Nearby words
voltametric, voltammeter, voltammetry, voltampere, volte, volte-face, volti, voltmeter, volturno, volturnus, voluble
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for volte-face
British Dictionary definitions for volte-face
volte-face
/ (ˈvɒltˈfɑːs) /
noun plural volte-face
a reversal, as in opinion or policy
a change of position so as to look, lie, etc, in the opposite direction
Word Origin for volte-face
C19: from French, from Italian volta-faccia, from volta a turn + faccia face
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for volte-face
volte-face
a reversal of opinion, 1819, French, from Italian volta faccia, literally "turn face," from volta, imper. of voltare "to turn" (from Vulgar Latin *volvita, from Latin volvere "to roll;" see volvox) + faccia (see face).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper