turn over
Britishverb
-
to change or cause to change position, esp so as to reverse top and bottom
-
to start (an engine), esp with a starting handle, or (of an engine) to start or function correctly
-
to shift or cause to shift position, as by rolling from side to side
-
(tr) to deliver; transfer
-
(tr) to consider carefully
he turned over the problem for hours
-
(tr)
-
to sell and replenish (stock in trade)
-
to transact business and so generate gross revenue of (a specified sum)
-
-
(tr) to invest and recover (capital)
-
slang (tr) to rob
-
slang (tr) to defeat utterly
-
to reform; resolve to improve one's behaviour
noun
-
-
the amount of business, usually expressed in terms of gross revenue, transacted during a specified period
-
( as modifier )
a turnover tax
-
-
the rate at which stock in trade is sold and replenished
-
a change or reversal of position
-
a small semicircular or triangular pastry case filled with fruit, jam, etc
-
-
the number of workers employed by a firm in a given period to replace those who have left
-
the ratio between this number and the average number of employees during the same period
-
-
banking the amount of capital funds loaned on call during a specified period
adjective
-
Invert, bring the bottom to the top, as in We have to turn over the soil before we plant anything . [Second half of 1300s]
-
Shift position, as by rolling from side to side. For example, This bed is so narrow I can barely turn over . [First half of 1700s]
-
Rotate, cycle, as in The engine turned over but the car wouldn't start . [Early 1900s]
-
Think about, consider, as in She turned over the idea in her mind . [Early 1800s]
-
Transfer to another, surrender, as in I turned over the funds to the children . [Mid-1500s]
-
Do business to the extent or amount of, as in We hoped the company would turn over a million dollars the first year . [Mid-1800s]
-
Seem to lurch or heave convulsively, as in The plane hit an air pocket and my stomach turned over . [Second half of 1800s]
-
Replace or renew the constituent parts, as in Half of our staff turns over every few years . [Mid-1900s] Also see turn over a new leaf .
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The doomsday scenario envisions businesses ditching legacy systems and consumers turning over many of their tasks to AI “agents” almost overnight.
County officials say they need a judge’s permission to comply with the subpoena and turn over the firm’s records to the bar, giving the typically opaque proceedings a spotlight in open court.
From Los Angeles Times
The property is clearly no one’s home but a cash cow, turned over every few days or weeks for new arrivals.
It seemed the monkey just turned over in his skin and sank his needle-sharp teeth right in the end of Rowdy’s nose.
From Literature
"Even though the Italians won more penalties than in previous matches... especially when we had the ball, defensively we were clean, but in attack we were turned over in the breakdown."
From Barron's
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
