Turn over means to flip something so the other side is on top (a sheet of paper, a page, a pancake) or to roll over: onto your other side in bed or, in the case of a car, onto its roof. A second, more formal meaning is to hand something or someone over to the authorities or to a new person in charge: turn evidence over to the police.
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turn over + page/paper/pancake; turn it over; turn over (in bed); turn + something + over to + the police
- I turned over the letter and found a phone number written on the back.
- I kept turning over in bed because the room was too hot.
- The hotel manager turned the security camera footage over to the police.
What changed
First versionYou may now turn your papers around and start the test.
RevisionYou may now turn your papers over and start the test.
Learners often say turn around when they mean flipping a sheet of paper. But turn around means to make something face the opposite direction, like a car on the road or a chair towards the window. When a sheet is placed with its back side up, English uses turn over.
The verb turn over is written as two words. Turnover as one word is a noun: a company's total sales or the rate at which staff leave. The company's turnover grew by ten per cent. Staff turnover is high in call centres.
Your turn
When bubbles appear on top, ___ the pancake and cook the other side for a minute.
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turn over — The pancake has to land with the uncooked side down, so it is turn over. Turn around would mean spinning it round in the pan: the uncooked side would still be on top.
Think of a letter, postcard or document you had to turn over. Say what it was and what you found on the back.
When I turned over the postcard from my aunt, I found a short poem written in pencil on the back.
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