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turn round

B1 neutral inseparable both
In simple words

Spin around to face the other way, or fix something that was going badly.

Literal meaning: To physically rotate until facing the opposite direction.

Meanings

1 A2 neutral

To rotate the body or an object to face the opposite direction.

"She heard her name and turned round to see who was calling."

Grammar: inseparable
2 B2 idiomatic neutral

To reverse a bad situation and make it successful again.

"The new manager turned the failing department round within six months."

Grammar: separable
3 B2 idiomatic neutral

To process and complete something within a certain amount of time.

"Our team can turn round a translation of that length in 48 hours."

Grammar: separable
Usage notes

Primarily British English; the American equivalent is 'turn around'. In business contexts, 'turnaround' (noun) refers to a reversal of poor performance. Also used to describe the time taken to complete a process.

Commonly used with

business economy car quickly fortunes situation

Forms

Base
turn round
I/you/we/they
3rd person
turns round
he/she/it
Past simple
turned round
yesterday
Past participle
turned round
have + pp
-ing form
turning round
continuous

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Synonyms

turn around reverse spin round wheel round pivot about-face

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