turning around

Verb

turn around (third-person singular simple present turns around, present participle turning around, simple past and past participle turned around)

1. (ergative) To physically rotate (usually around a vertical axis) for a half turn (180 degrees), a whole turn (360 degrees), or an indefinite amount.
   • At the end of the road, we turned around and walked back to the hotel.

   Synonyms:

   twirl

2. (figuratively, transitive) To change drastically in a fundamental way, often for the better; to change to the opposite (opinion or position).
   • She turned her position around and now she is in favor of the merger.
3. (transitive) To reverse an expected outcome (of a game, etc.), usually from a losing outcome to a winning one; to return (a business, department, etc.) to effectiveness, profitability, etc.
   • The new management team has really turned the company around 180 degrees, and they expect a good profit next year.
4. (transitive) To convert (an agent) to work for one's own side.
   • Some months ago, the Captain had come to the FBI with a story that he had been contacted by Soviet agents, and the FBI had “turned him around” and used him to plant false and specially made up classified material of no importance on the Soviets.2014, Joseph DiMona, To the Eagle's Nest
5. (colloquial, idiomatic, intransitive) To suddenly change or reverse one's opinion, point of view, stated position, behaviour, etc.
   • You can't just turn around and say that it was all my fault.
6. (idiomatic, transitive) To consider from a different viewpoint.
   • Let's turn that around and look at it from another angle.

See all 7 meanings of turn around