Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun A reversal, as in policy; an about-face.
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun A sudden change from one position, in a matter of principle, policy, or polities, to its direct opposite.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun a
reversal ofpolicy ,attitude orprinciple
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun a major change in attitude or principle or point of view
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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Merkel's volte-face on Friday earned her biting criticism in the weekend media.
Greek debt crisis: eurozone ministers delay decision on €12bn lifeline 2011
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In the latest skirmish, some brave defenders of free speech have done a sudden volte-face and cheered the banning of minarets in Switzerland.
Archive 2009-12-01 2009
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John BaxterBerkhamsted, Hertfordshire• Nick Clegg and his Lib Dem ministerial colleagues must be dangerously naive if they think that a quick volte-face, with the imprimatur of Clegg's "personal" authority, on the key ingredients of the health bill, is going to wash with their outraged foot soldiers.
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It's reminiscent of the extraordinary volte-face about nuclear energy, from classic eco-campaigning territory to a climate change-adaptation technique.
Just because GM is gaining popularity doesn't make it right Lucy Siegle 2010
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Merkel's volte-face on Friday earned her biting criticism in the weekend media.
Greek debt crisis: eurozone ministers delay decision on €12bn lifeline 2011
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The tariff surely cannot survive the embarrassing volte-face.
Humiliating climbdown surely spells apocalypse for Horsemen's tariff 2011
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Future Group's Pantaloon Retail (India) Ltd., which needs funds to pare its debt of more than 40 billion rupees ($775 million) and keep its stores expansion going, is likely to be the hardest hit by the government's volte-face.
Indian Retailers to Pitch for Non-Food Multi-Brand Retail Rumman Ahmed 2011
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"You say I did a volte-face, but we are going back many years now," he said.
Manchester United have post-Sir Alex Ferguson plan, says David Gill 2011
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The move is being hailed as "a stunning volte-face," a complete "U-turn on nuclear energy."
Katie Engelhart: Political Fallout: Will Germany Go Nuclear-Free? Katie Engelhart 2011
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In an extraordinary volte-face, David Cameron will disown the media tycoon by leading his party through the lobbies to urge him to drop the bid.
Rupert Murdoch facing BSkyB defeat as parties unite in call to drop takeover 2011
strev commented on the word volte-face
Electrifying visage.
February 6, 2011