Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

u-turn

/jˈutˌɝn/

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.90 in modern English

Syllables: u--turn
IPA: /jˈutˌɝn/

5

Scrabble Score

5

Letters

3

Syllables

4

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A turn in a vehicle carried out by driving in a semicircle in order to travel in the opposite direction.

noun

A reversal of policy or opinion.

verb

To turn a vehicle in a semicircle so as to face the opposite direction (∩)).

verb

To shift from one opinion or decision to its opposite.

Intransitive verb

noun

Alternative letter-case form of U-turn.

Example Sentences

"What's disappointing about all this doom and gloom is that the franchise has made the kind of whiplashing U-turn you might see in its car-chase sequences."
"The government have done a U-turn and are now supporting greater European integration instead of opposing it."
"Rishi Sunak, the UK prime minister, announced a major U-turn on the government’s climate commitments last month, pushing back the deadline for selling new petrol and diesel cars and the phasing out of gas boilers."
"She made the case for cutting taxes as “the right thing to do morally and economically”, despite having just U-turned over her decision to abolish the 45p top rate of income tax."
""The PM’s private reassurances are worthless given her track record of u-turns and her clear desperation to cling to power.""

Etymology

From U + turn, from the similarity to the shape of the letter U.

Usage

Intransitive verb

Inflected Forms

U-turns (plural) U-turns (present, singular) U-turning (participle, present) U-turned (participle, past) U-turned (past)

Phrases

U-turner

Frequently Paired Words

three-point turn K-turn left turn hang a Louie hang a Ralph come around

Synonyms

uey about-face flipflop flip-flop backflip turnaround turnabout row-back hang a uey bang a uey flip a bitch chuck a uey

Questions

How do you pronounce u-turn?: The recorded pronunciation is /jˈutˌɝn/.
What does u-turn mean?: A turn in a vehicle carried out by driving in a semicircle in order to travel in the opposite direction.
Where does u-turn come from?: From U + turn, from the similarity to the shape of the letter U.

How to pronounce u-turn

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “u-turn”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/jˈutˌɝn/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “u-turn”.
Repeat and practice — Say “u-turn” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.