turn over meaning and examples

Meaning

• Turn over has several common meanings:
  1. To flip something to the other side (e.g., turn over a page).
  2. To give responsibility or control to someone (e.g., turn over the project).
  3. To generate sales or revenue (business usage).
  4. To think deeply or reconsider something (turn something over in your mind).
  5. For an engine to start running.

Grammar and Usage

• Part of speech: Phrasal verb (verb + particle)
• Transitive / Intransitive:
  • Transitive when an object follows: turn over the page
  • Intransitive in some uses: The engine won’t turn over.

Common patterns:

• turn over + noun
• turn + noun + over
• turn over to + person (transfer control)
• turn over in your mind (think about)

Common Phrases

• turn over a new leaf – to start fresh or improve one's behavior
• turn something over to someone – hand over control or responsibility
• turn over in bed – roll to the other side while lying down
• turn over evidence – hand it to authorities
• turn over the soil – dig or flip soil in gardening

Collocations

• turn over a page
• turn over responsibility
• turn over goods / stock
• high / low turnover (business noun form)
• engine won’t turn over
• turn over ideas

Examples

1. Please turn over the page to continue reading.
2. The manager turned the project over to a new team.
3. Our shop turned over more than $1 million last year.
4. I kept turning the problem over in my mind all night.
5. The car wouldn’t turn over in the cold weather.
6. She turned over in bed and fell asleep again.
7. Police asked him to turn over all the documents.
8. The wind turned the boat over.
9. They hired a consultant to improve staff turnover.
10. He decided to turn over a new leaf after the incident.

Synonyms or Related

• flip
• rotate
• hand over
• pass on
• transfer
• generate (revenue)
• reconsider

Antonym

• hold on to
• keep
• retain
• stay the same