About Face

Pronunciation: /əˈbaʊt feɪs/

Definitions of about face

noun a complete change of opinion, attitude, or direction

Example Sentences

A1 She did an about face and walked in the opposite direction.

A2 The soldier made a quick about face when he heard the command.

B1 The company's decision to change its marketing strategy was a complete about face.

B2 The politician's sudden about face on the issue surprised many of his supporters.

C1 The CEO's about face on the merger decision caused chaos within the company.

C2 The athlete's about face in his training regimen led to a significant improvement in his performance.

Examples of about face in a Sentence

formal The soldier made an about face in response to the commanding officer's orders.

informal I did a quick about face when I realized I was going the wrong way.

slang She did a total about face on her opinion after hearing the new information.

figurative The company's about face on their marketing strategy led to increased sales.

Grammatical Forms of about face

• past tense: about faced
• plural: about faces
• comparative: more about face
• superlative: most about face
• present tense: about faces
• future tense: will about face
• perfect tense: have about faced
• continuous tense: is about facing
• singular: about face
• positive degree: about face
• infinitive: to about face
• gerund: about facing
• participle: about faced

Origin and Evolution of about face

First Known Use: 1800 year

Language of Origin: English

Story behind the word: The origin of the phrase 'about face' can be traced back to military commands, specifically in the context of drill exercises.

Evolution of the word: Originally used as a command to turn 180 degrees in the military, 'about face' has evolved to also mean a complete change in opinion or direction in a more general sense.