Turn around meaning
Turn around means to change direction to face the other way. It can also mean to change a bad situation into a good one.
turn something around
turn around · turned · turning
She turned around and smiled.
Turn around meanings and examples
2 meanings, each with its own CEFR level. A level marked ~ is our estimate: Oxford and Cambridge give none for that meaning.
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1
Change direction to face the other way
turn something around
- She turned around and smiled.
- Turn the car around at the next corner.
- The bus had to turn around because of the snow.
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2
Change a bad situation into a good one
turn somebody or something around
- The new manager turned the company around.
- He turned his life around after school.
- They turned around the team in one season.
Café orders
New friends
At the airport
Slova
Use turn around in real conversations
- Learn new words with picture cards
- Talk with Felix, an AI tutor, about the things you love
- Short lessons at your level, a few minutes a day
Is turn around separable?
When someone turns to face the other way, turn around has no object: He turned around. When you turn something around, it is separable: turn the car around, turn it around.
British English also says turn round. A turnaround is a sudden change: There was a big turnaround in the results. It can also mean the time needed to finish a job.
Verb tenses for turn around
| Present | I turn around · she turns around |
|---|---|
| Past | turned around |
| Present perfect | have turned around |
| -ing form | turning around |
Common mistakes with turn around
What learners often say, and what to say instead.
Wrong: He turned around me.
Right: He turned me around.
Put the pronoun between turn and around.
Wrong: Turn around the page, please.
Right: Turn over the page, please.
To change a page, use turn over. Turn around means face the other way.
Wrong: I turned around it and looked.
Right: I turned around and looked at it.
Turn around has no object. Add at it after the verb.
Synonyms and opposites of turn around
Words close to it, and words that mean the opposite.
Similar
- turn roundthe British form
- turn backreturn the way you came
- improvemake something better
Turn around quiz
Three quick questions. Pick an answer to see if it is right and why.
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1“Hey!” she shouted, and he ___ and waved.
Turn around means face the other way.
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2Choose the right sentence.
A pronoun goes between turn and around.
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3What does “she turned the shop around” mean?
Turn something around means make it succeed.
More phrasal verbs with turn
All phrasal verbs with turn, by level, with an exercise
11 phrasal verbs start with turn. Test yourself on all of them in a few minutes.
- turn onA2make a light, machine or tap start working
- turn offA2make a light, machine or tap stop working
- turn intoB1change and become something different
- turn overB1move something so the other side faces up
- turn awayB1turn your face or body so you do not look at something
- turn downB2say no to an offer, an invitation or a person
- turn upB2arrive, often late or when nobody expects you
- turn outB2happen or end in a particular way
- turn backB2return the way you have come, or make someone do this
- turn inB1give something to a teacher, a boss or an authority
Turn around FAQ
Questions people ask about turn around.
What does turn around mean?
It means change direction to face the other way. It also means change a bad situation, such as a failing business, into a good one.
Is it turn around or turn round?
Both are right. Turn round is more British, turn around is common everywhere.
What does “a turnaround” mean?
A turnaround is a big change from bad to good. It can also mean the time between getting a job and finishing it.
Use turn around in real conversations
In Slova you learn new words with picture cards, then use them when you talk about the things you love. A few minutes a day, at your level.