The Phrasal Verb 'Turn Over' Explained
- Phrasal Verbs Explained
- 16 hours ago
- 15 min read
An explanation of the different meanings of the English phrasal verb 'turn over' from a native speaker, with lots of examples in context
Hello and welcome to my website for English learners all about phrasal verbs where I explain their different meanings to help you understand, learn and use them like a native.
In this post, I will be explaining the phrasal verb 'turn out' and the various different uses and applications that it has in English. It may surprise you to learn that there at least 8 different ways to use it, from simply turning something so that it faces the opposite direction to making money. Read on to learn what they are all are, with detailed explanations of each one and lots of example sentences too....
TABLE OF CONTENTS (Click to jump to each one)
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THE BASICS
TURN OVER: KEY INFORMATION
Usage | Common |
Number of meanings | 8 |
Past tense forms | Turned over / Turned over |
Separable? | Yes |
The words 'turn' and 'over' are two common words in English and before we look at the different meanings of 'turn over' as a phrasal verb, let's quickly consider what these two words mean as single lexical units....
To turn - This is a frequently used verb in English that has several different meanings, all of which indicate a change of some sort. It can mean to rotate or spin in a circular movement (like a carousel or the Earth), or alternatively it can be used to describe the movement of a person or object to face a different direction. Another key meaning of the verb 'to turn' is to change from one thing to another or to become another age when it is your birthday.
The Earth turns on its axis.
The record player was turning but no sound was coming from it.
I turned to face the sun.
Jack turned the car around the bend.
The weather is turning and winter is on the way.
My Dad is turning 60 tomorrow.
Over - The prepositional particle 'over' is one that has multiple different meanings in English. These include to express being above something, moving above or across something and exceeding something, as well as being synonyms of the words 'during', 'finished' and 'about'...it's a confusing word! When used in phrasal verbs, the idea of a movement above or across something can often be found (come over, run over). Other ideas that 'over' can add to phrasal verb constructions include review (go over), change (take over) and falling (fall over).
Now that we have looked at the basics, let's move on to the different meanings of the phrasal verb 'turn over'.....
MEANING 1: To change from one side to the other
CEFR Language Level | A2 - Elementary |
Usage | Common |
Where is it used? | Everywhere |
Potential synonyms | To turn, to switch over |
Separable? | Sometimes |
Let's begin our exploration of the meanings of the phrasal verb 'turn over' with a nice and straightforward one, which is 'to change from one side to the other'.
I think that this application is more or less the literal meaning of the two component words as it means to turn something so that it faces the opposite side. Note that this is often when the item is facing upwards or downwards, rather than sideways, in which case the phrasal verb 'turn around' would more likely be used.
For example, if you have a mattress on your bed, it is a good idea to turn it over every few months so that a different side of it is facing upwards. Alternatively, if you are playing a game of cards, you may need to turn over a card to reveal what it is and to do this you simply turn it, so that the side with the number or person is now facing upwards and visible.
Note that on a grammatical level, this application can be used both transitively (with a direct object) and intransitively (without one). In other words, you can turn something over or something can turn over by itself.
Susan turned over the pancake, so it could cook on the other side.
I turned over the pillow to rest on the cooler side.
The wind turned over the leaf, showing its lighter underside.
The mechanic turned over the car part so that he could weld the bottom.
Please turn the card over to see the instructions.
The cat turned over and lay on its back in the sun.
We are not just limited to objects with this application however, as it is also possible for a person to turn over, or more rarely unless you are a paramedic, to turn a person over. One way that this is used particularly commonly in an intransitive way when referring to people is to talk about when we turn over in bed. What this actually means is when you are asleep and facing one way and you move your body so that you are facing the other way. This could be from side to side or could be from your back or front to your side or any combination of these.
I made my husband turn over in bed last night as his snoring was so loud.
The nurse asked the patient to turn over onto his other side.
As I was turning over in bed last night, I accidentally knocked the cat off the bed.
One other common way that you may come across this first application of 'turn over' is in reference to books and pages. When you turn over a page, you simply move the page of a book that you have finished reading to the other side so that the writing on the reverse is visible instead. This usage is more common in British English than in American English.
PTO
A frequently used acronym for this usage exists, which is PTO, meaning "Please Turn Over" and you will often find this at the bottom of a document to advise the reader that the document continues on the reverse side.
Billy turned over the page to continue reading the story.
If you turn over to the next page, you will see a diagram explaining this model.
BONUS: The Idiom 'To Turn Over A New Leaf'
This is a good point in the post to introduce you to a common idiom featuring this application, which is 'to turn over a new leaf'. If someone turns over a new leaf, it means that they make a positive change in their life and start to behave in a better way by stopping their bad habits and activities.
The reason that the word 'leaf' is included here and not 'page' is because 'leaf' is actually an old word meaning 'page'. It is not really used much nowadays apart from in this expression and in words like 'overleaf' (on the next page) and the phrasal verb 'leaf through' (to quickly look through the pages of a book or magazine).
John has turned over a new leaf and has stopped all his criminal ways.
She is very sorry for what she has done and promises to turn over a new leaf. Let's see whether or not she sticks to her promise!
MEANING 2: To change the TV channel
CEFR Language Level | B1 - Intermediate |
Usage | Medium |
Where is it used? | British English |
Potential synonyms | To change channel |
Separable? | Yes |
Our second application of the phrasal verb 'turn over' is another simple one that is used primarily in British English and that is 'to change a television channel'.
Quite simply, if you are watching a programme on TV, you may want to turn over to see what is on the other channels when it has finished.
For this application, we are talking about watching terrestrial television with a live schedule of programmes and advertisements etc and not on-demand TV or streaming services. As a consequence of the changing nature of how we consume television these days, this usage is becoming rarer but can still be heard, especially among older people.
Can you turn over? I want to see what else is on.
I turned over to Channel 2 just in time for the movie to start.
Don’t turn over just yet; I’m still watching this!
Sam kept turning over the channels because nothing interesting was on.
Turn over to the news; I think it’s about to begin.
Paula turned over quickly when the adverts came on.
If you don’t enjoy this show, just turn over and find something better.
MEANING 3: To think carefully about something
CEFR Language Level | B2 - Upper intermediate |
Usage | Medium |
Where is it used? | Everywhere |
Potential synonyms | To consider, to think, to mull over, to deliberate, to contemplate, to ponder |
Separable? | Yes |
The first two applications of 'turn over' that we have looked at so far in this post have both been somewhat literal, however this third application is a bit more idiomatic in nature as it means 'to think carefully about something'.
This time, if you turn something over, you think about it carefully or for a long period in your mind. In fact, this application is perhaps most commonly heard in the expression 'to turn something over in your mind'.
Most of the time, this is used when someone has a difficult decision to make and needs a lot of time to think about it. Alternatively, we do also say this when something stressful or unpleasant has happened and you need time to think about it and process it afterwards. I think you can picture this a bit like a chicken that repeatedly turns over and over in an oven and which needs a certain amount of time to turn over before it is cooked and ready to eat.
I’ve been turning the idea over in my mind all weekend and I'm still unsure.
Ben lay in bed turning over everything that had happened that day.
Kelly spends hours turning things over in her head before making a decision.
After the meeting, I kept turning the discussion over in my mind.
He often turns over the consequences before he acts.
Madeline lay awake all night turning over what her boss had said.
I’ve been turning your words over in my mind since yesterday.
MEANING 4: To have a particular throughput
CEFR Language Level | C1 - Advanced |
Usage | Medium |
Where is it used? | Everywhere |
Potential synonyms | To go through |
Separable? | Yes |
The next couple of applications of 'turn over' are ones that are used in business English, with this first one being heard in the retail (shopping) sector in particular as it means 'to have a particular throughput'.
Nouns commonly used with this application....
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Firstly, if you are not sure about the word 'throughput', it means the amount of work, materials or people that pass through a system or organisation over a period of time. Essentially, it can be used for anything that can be processed by a business, whether that be stock that a business buys and sells or the number of people that it employs.
If you want to talk about how high or low the throughput of a specific company, shop or organisation is, we can use this application of 'turn over' to do so. For example, if a shop buys and then sells a lot of stock over a weekly period, we can say that it turns over a lot of stock in a week. Likewise, in organisations which regularly have a high number of employees who leave and then need to be replaced, we can say that it turns over staff at a fast rate.
This shop turns over stock so quickly that new products have to be put on display daily.
We turn over seasonal items fast, especially around the Christmas holidays.
Our clearance section turns over merchandise faster than any other department.
High street stores have to turn over inventory rapidly in order to stay competitive.
That distribution centre turns over more stock than any other facility in the region.
Fast-food chains tend to turn over employees at a high rate.
MEANING 5: To make money
CEFR Language Level | C1 - Advanced |
Usage | Medium |
Where is it used? | Everywhere |
Potential synonyms | To make, to earn |
Separable? | No |
Another way that you may hear 'turn over' in the world of business and commerce is this fifth application, which is 'to make money'.
Nouns commonly used with this application....
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It is a cold hard fact that the sole aim of any business is to make money from its commercial activities. Any money that a company makes is known as revenue and when we talk about how much revenue a company makes, we can use this application of 'turn over'.
As we use 'turn over' to talk about how much money a company makes, it is usually expressed either with an amount of money or with a description of the amount e.g. "a lot" or "twice as much". Furthermore, if the company is lucky enough to make a profit, i.e. it makes money after all of its expenses have been paid, we can also say that it "turns over a profit".
Note that unlike the previous applications of 'turn over' that we have looked at, this one is not normally used in a separable way.
The company turns over nearly $5 million USD a year.
That small bakery turns over more money than you'd expect.
Our online store now turns over twice as much as it did last year.
They turned over a record amount in sales during the holiday season.
The firm turns over huge profits thanks to its international exports.
Last quarter, the business turned over £750,000 in revenue.
Their new product line helped them turn over significant profit.
Despite the recession, the retailer still turned over a healthy amount.,
The company expects to turn over even more next fiscal year.
They’ve been turning over steady revenue since they expanded overseas.
MEANING 6: To give someone ownership of something
CEFR Language Level | C1 - Advanced |
Usage | Medium |
Where is it used? | Everywhere |
Potential synonyms | To hand over, to relinquish |
Separable? | Yes |
Our next application of 'turn over' is one that can be used in many different areas of life, from work to personal matters, and means 'to give someone ownership of something'.
Nouns commonly used with this application....
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To describe this meaning in another way, it is to transfer the control or possession of something to another person. This is often when the person receiving it has a legal right to it, either because they are entitled to it somehow or because they now own it. In addition, it is also possible to turn over the responsibility for something to someone else.
Examples of when you may come across this application are when information or records are required to be turned over to the police for legal purposes, when a business owner retires and has to transfer ownership of it to someone else and when someone hands over the keys to a property when it has been sold.
You may have noted that I included 'hand over' in the last example above as it functions as a synonym of 'turn over', however there are some differences in nuance between the two. Firstly, 'turn over' sounds a bit more formal and serious than 'hand over' and secondly, it often implies that the person turning over the item is only doing so because they have been ordered to do so or are legally required to and are not doing it voluntarily. 'Hand over', on the other errr hand, can often imply that something is given more willingly.
Sir David turned the business over to his daughter when he retired.
The land was turned over to the government after the dispute has been settled.
The company will be turned over to new management next year.
Under the court order, Fred was required to turn over all financial records.
They turned over ownership of the property to the charity last month.
The estate was turned over to the Duke's heirs following the reading of the will.
The suspect refused to turn over the stolen items to the police.
Poppy plans to turn over control of the company to a successor at some point next year.
One other way that this application of 'turn over' is used in (almost) the same way is in relation to people. If you turn someone over, you are talking specifically about criminals and when someone delivers a person who is suspected of having committed a crime to the police or the authorities.
For example, a criminal in custody may turn his fellow gang members over to the police, an illegal immigrant may be turned over to the immigration authorities by a member of the public or you may even turn yourself over if you feel guilty about a crime that you committed and feel like you should be punished for it.
After hours of interrogation, the gang finally agreed to turn their leader over to the police.
The group of neighbours caught the burglar and turned him over to the authorities.
Rather than turning himself over to the police, Jeff tried to escape the country.
The rebels refused to turn over the captured soldiers to the government forces when they were asked to do so.
MEANING 7: To make an engine run
CEFR Language Level | C1 - Advanced |
Usage | Medium |
Where is it used? | Everywhere |
Potential synonyms | To run |
Separable? | No |
Next up, we have an application for all the petrolheads (car fanatics) among you as another meaning of the phrasal verb 'turn over' is 'to make an engine run'.
Nouns commonly used with this application....
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In basic terms, if an engine runs, it means that it is operating correctly and producing power, regardless of if the vehicle or machine that it powers is moving or stationary. We use 'turn over' to describe when we talk about making an engine start to run.
When you insert a car key into the ignition and turn it, the starter motor physically rotates, typically causing the engine to start running. This process of activating the starter motor with the key is referred to as 'turning over'. This is not normally something that people need to think about until there is a problem and the engine fails to start. Usually, when this problem occurs, you hear a sound as you turn the key, indicating the engine is turning over, but the engine doesn't start. As a consequence, this application mainly tends to be used when there is a problem.
The engine refused to turn over this morning as it was so cold.
Victor tried to start the truck, but the engine wouldn’t turn over.
After a few attempts, the motor finally turned over and started.
Amy turned the key, but the engine didn’t even turn over.
Once the fuel started flowing, the engine turned over smoothly.
The boat’s engine turned over nicely after being repaired.
Keep cranking it; the engine should turn over in a minute!
It took a while, but eventually the generator turned over and began humming.
MEANING 8: To burgle
CEFR Language Level | C1 - Advanced |
Usage | Medium |
Where is it used? | British English |
Potential synonyms | To burgle, to rob, to do over |
Separable? | Yes |
We are going to end the phrasal verb meanings on a negative application (sorry), which is another British English usage, meaning 'to burgle'.
Nouns commonly used with this application....
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For those of you who are not sure, the verb 'to burgle' means to illegally enter a house or property with the intention of stealing things or committing a crime. If someone turns over your home, it means that they burgle it, often searching through it, stealing things and making it very untidy in the process.
Often, when talking about someone who has been the victim of this crime, it is common to refer to it in the passive sense with the verb 'to get', especially as we do not normally know who the criminals were.
The thieves turned the whole house over whilst the family was away on holiday.
We got home to find the place had been turned over by burglars.
The shop was turned over during the night and the cash register was emptied.
Burglars broke in and turned the office over, searching for valuables and cash.
They turned over every drawer and cupboard in the place looking for jewellery.
We got our house turned over last night but luckily nothing valuable was stolen.
Someone turned our garage over and stole all my Dad's tools.
They got their flat turned over whilst they were sleeping in bed.
BONUS: The noun turnover
Lastly, before we wrap up this post, let's just take a look at the noun 'turnover', which has a couple of different meanings....
Turnover as revenue: You will hopefully remember that earlier in the post I explained how we can use 'turn over' to talk about how much revenue a business makes over a period of time. We can also use the noun 'turnover' as a direct synonym of revenue here. Simply put, a company's turnover is how much money it makes from its activities during a specific period.
The company reported an annual turnover of £5 million last year.
We managed to double our turnover after we launched the new product line.
It can also be used to mean the throughput of something, especially when talking about the number of employees that start working for and leave an organisation in a period of time.
High employee turnover is causing major recruitment challenges for the company.
Turnover as a food: Last but not definitely not least, it is also possible to eat a turnover. These are pastry snacks on which some fruit (most commonly apple) is placed on the pastry and one end is then turned over, enclosing it in its own little tasty pocket. Delicious!
My Gran makes the best apple turnovers! They're so good!
If you want to try and make an apple turnover, you can find the recipe here....
We have now reached the end of this post and I just want to say thank you for clicking on my post and reading it. I hope that you've enjoyed it and have been able to learn something new about the phrasal verb 'turn over'. If you enjoyed this post, please go ahead and check out some of my other posts.
Now it is YOUR turn. Can you think of a sentence yourself using 'turn over'. Write it in the comments section below if you can, or alternatively any comments, suggestions or feedback that you may have....don't be shy!!!
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