about-face
/əˈbaʊtˌfeɪs/ noun, verb
Forms about-faces about-facing about-faced about face
- noun (military) An abrupt turn to face the opposite direction. “The soldier did an about-face and marched off.”
- noun (figurative) A reversal in direction; a reversal of attitude or opinion. “When Luke heard the news, he did an abrupt about-face on the policy.”
- verb (intransitive) To turn 180 degrees to face the opposite direction. “The soldiers would about-face immediately after the order was given.”
- verb 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.”
Synonyms
Etymology
From about + face, first attested in 1861, used in the imperative in the military.
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 — from the Wiktionary entry “about-face”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details