U-turn

See also: u-turn

English

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 (colloquial)

Translations

semi-circular turn

• Chinese:

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

• Czech: obrat o 180 stupňů m
• Danish: U-vending c
• Dutch: U-bocht (nl) m or 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 (ja) (yūtān)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• 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
• Danish: U-vending c
• 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

• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Portuguese: reviravolta f

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. 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)

• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• 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. (intransitive) To shift from one opinion or decision to its opposite.

See also

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