as in reversal
a changing from one policy or point of view to virtually its exact opposite
more than one London newspaper accused the prime minister of doing an about-turn on the issue
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Recent Examples of about-turn
The specific reasons behind the about-turns are not clear, as both Iraq and Pakistan had earlier received approvals from Iran to transit the strait.
—
Weilun Soon, Fortune, 12 Apr. 2026
Veteran forward Nicolas Batum called the team’s about-turn from a 6-21 start remarkable but cautioned against getting wrapped up in the achievement with 17 regular-season games left.
—Janis Carr, Oc Register, 12 Mar. 2026
That was only the latest about-turn by the government, which despite enjoying a sizable majority in the House of Commons, has gained a reputation for turning tail whenever Labour backbenchers oppose a policy.
—Will Standring, Bloomberg, 14 Jan. 2026
First, a dramatic about-turn by the United States.
—Vasco Cotovio, CNN Money, 11 Dec. 2025
The revelations represent a stunning about-turn in a case for which Azevedo had yet to appear in court to face felony charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and lying to a government agency, which could carry up to 20 years on the most serious count.
—Jakob Rodgers, Mercury News, 6 Nov. 2025
Also on March 10, a federal judge ruled that the department is required to make its records public, an about-turn for the agency that has been mired in secrecy, according to Forbes.
—Sam Gillette, People.com, 12 Mar. 2025
The announcement is a dramatic about-turn for a Republican president.
—Hannah Parry, Newsweek, 13 Feb. 2025
Under Leahy’s watch, Glossier launched at Sephora in February 2023, marking an about-turn from its prior DTC strategy and adopting a more traditional retail playbook.
—Kathryn Hopkins, Footwear News, 3 Sep. 2019
Weilun Soon, Fortune, 12 Apr. 2026
Veteran forward Nicolas Batum called the team’s about-turn from a 6-21 start remarkable but cautioned against getting wrapped up in the achievement with 17 regular-season games left.
—Janis Carr, Oc Register, 12 Mar. 2026
That was only the latest about-turn by the government, which despite enjoying a sizable majority in the House of Commons, has gained a reputation for turning tail whenever Labour backbenchers oppose a policy.
—Will Standring, Bloomberg, 14 Jan. 2026
First, a dramatic about-turn by the United States.
—Vasco Cotovio, CNN Money, 11 Dec. 2025
The revelations represent a stunning about-turn in a case for which Azevedo had yet to appear in court to face felony charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and lying to a government agency, which could carry up to 20 years on the most serious count.
—Jakob Rodgers, Mercury News, 6 Nov. 2025
Also on March 10, a federal judge ruled that the department is required to make its records public, an about-turn for the agency that has been mired in secrecy, according to Forbes.
—Sam Gillette, People.com, 12 Mar. 2025
The announcement is a dramatic about-turn for a Republican president.
—Hannah Parry, Newsweek, 13 Feb. 2025
Under Leahy’s watch, Glossier launched at Sephora in February 2023, marking an about-turn from its prior DTC strategy and adopting a more traditional retail playbook.
—Kathryn Hopkins, Footwear News, 3 Sep. 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for about-turn
Noun
-
In recent years, the state Supreme Court has agreed to review multiple high-profile cases from Santa Clara County where prosecutors challenged an appellate court’s reversal of an initial conviction.—
Robert Salonga,
Mercury News,
27 Apr. 2026
-
What followed was a series of appeals and reversals that kept Rose on (and off) death row for nearly 50 years.—
Rafael Olmeda,
Sun Sentinel,
27 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
This volte-face was not just about electoral politics.—
Robert F. Worth,
The Atlantic,
17 Jan. 2026
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The Kremlin has denied any such request was made, which tells you something about how Moscow views the optics of this diplomatic volte-face.—
Bobby Ghosh,
Time,
22 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“About-turn.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/about-turn. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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