about-face
noun/əˈbaʊtˌfeɪs/US
Etymology
From about + face, first attested in 1861, used in the imperative in the military.
Definitions
An abrupt turn to face the opposite direction.
- The soldier did an about-face and marched off.
- Deciding that he hasn't had enough action for one day, Captain Evans of the Johnston orders another 180-degree about-face to give gunfire support to the new arrivals, this time picking on the heavy cruiser Tone.
A reversal in direction
A reversal in direction; a reversal of attitude or opinion.
- When Luke heard the news, he did an abrupt about-face on the policy.
- Sidney Powell does an about-face on her Stop the Steal claims [title]
To turn 180 degrees to face the opposite direction.
- The soldiers would about-face immediately after the order was given.
›+ 1 more definitionshow fewer
To change opinion or attitude drastically.
- A politician will about-face at the drop of a hat if he thinks there are votes in it.
The neighborhood
- neighborabout turn
- neighborarse about face
- neighborbackpedal
- neighborheel/face turn
- neighborturnabout
- neighborturn around
- neighborvolte-face
- neighbor180
Vish — recursive loop
No curated loop yet for about-face. Loops are being traced one word at a time while the ingestion pipeline matures.
sense glosses and etymology drawn from English Wiktionary · source · CC-BY-SA