U-turn

See also: u-turn

English

Play media

A car making a U-turn.

Alternative forms

• u-turn

Etymology

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

Noun

U-turn (plural U-turns)

1. (literally) A turn in a vehicle carried out by driving in a semicircle in order to travel in the opposite direction.
2. (figuratively) A reversal of policy; a volte-face, a backflip

   The government have done a U-turn and are now supporting greater European integration instead of opposing it.

Usage notes

• Often used in the phrases do a U-turn or make a U-turn.

Synonyms

• uey (Australian & US, colloquial), U-ie (Australian & US, colloquial), Uwey (Australian & US, colloquial),

Translations

semi-circular turn

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 轉頭 (zh), 转头 (zh) (zhuàntoú)

• Czech: obrat o 180 stupňů m
• Dutch: U-bocht (nl) m, f
• Finnish: U-käännös (fi)
• French: demi-tour (fr) m, volte-face (fr) f, retournement (fr) m
• German: Fahrtrichtungswechsel m (officialese), Kehrtwende (de) f, Wenden (de) n
• Japanese: Ｕターン (yūtān)

• Korean: 유턴 (yuteon)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: U-sving m, u-sving m

  Nynorsk: U-sving m, u-sving m

• Russian: разворо́т (ru) m (razvorót), поворо́т круго́м m (povorót krugóm)
• Spanish: cambio de sentido m, vuelta en u f, viraje en u m
• Tagalog: likong pabalik
• Turkish: U-dönüşü

reversal of policy

• Czech: obrat o 180 stupňů m
• French: demi-tour (fr) m, marche arrière (fr) f, revirement (fr) m, volte-face (fr) f
• German: Kehrtwende (de) f, Hundertachtziggradwende f, 180-Grad-Wende f, Hundertachtziggraddrehung f, 180-Grad-Drehung f
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: U-sving m, u-sving m

  Nynorsk: U-sving m, u-sving m

• Portuguese: reviravolta f

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout#Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Chinese:

  Simplified (mainland China): 掉头 (1)

  Traditional (Taiwan): 迴轉 (1), 迴車 (1)

• Dutch: rechtsomkeert, draai van 180 graden
• Finnish: U-käännös (1, 2), takinkääntäminen (2)

Verb

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

1. To shift from a previous opinion or decision, to its opposite opinion or decision.

See also

• three-point turn / K-turn
• y-turn
• hook a uey hook a U-ie
• flip a bitch
• moonshiner's turn
• hang a Louie
• hang a Ralph