Pronunciation: /tɜːrn.teɪl/

Definitions of turntail

noun a person who turns and runs away from danger or trouble; a coward

Example Sentences

A1 When the dog saw the big cat, it quickly turntail and ran away.

A2 The soldier's turntail during the battle was seen as an act of cowardice by his comrades.

B1 The company's decision to turntail on their promise to increase salaries caused a lot of frustration among employees.

B2 The politician's sudden turntail on his stance regarding environmental issues surprised many of his supporters.

C1 The CEO's turntail on the company's expansion plans led to a significant loss in investor confidence.

C2 The diplomat's turntail on the peace negotiations jeopardized years of progress towards a resolution.

verb to suddenly turn and run away from danger or trouble

Example Sentences

A1 The cat turntail and ran away when it heard a loud noise.

A2 The hiker turntail when he realized he was lost in the woods.

B1 The team decided to turntail and abandon the project due to lack of funding.

B2 After facing criticism from the public, the company turntail and changed their marketing strategy.

C1 The politician was forced to turntail on his campaign promises after new information came to light.

C2 Despite initial resistance, the CEO eventually had to turntail and accept the merger proposal.

Examples of turntail in a Sentence

formal The soldier was accused of cowardice and ordered to turntail during the battle.

informal When things got tough, he decided to turntail and run away.

slang I can't believe he turnedtail when things got rough.

figurative She always turns tail when faced with a difficult situation.

Grammatical Forms of turntail

past tense

turnedtail

plural

turntails

comparative

more turntail

superlative

most turntail

present tense

turntail

future tense

will turntail

perfect tense

have turnedtail

continuous tense

is turntailing

singular

turntail

positive degree

turntail

infinitive

to turntail

gerund

turntailing

participle

turntailed

Origin and Evolution of turntail

First Known Use: 1250 year
Language of Origin: Middle English
Story behind the word: The word 'turntail' originated from Middle English, specifically from the combination of the words 'turn' and 'tail'.
Evolution of the word: Originally used to describe the action of turning one's tail or fleeing in battle, 'turntail' has evolved to mean someone who retreats or backs down from a challenge or confrontation.