idiom / phrasal verb · neutral
turn on a dime
UK/tɜːn ɒn ə daɪm/US/tɜrn ɑn ə daɪm/DIME
speakingtask2
to change direction or attitude very quickly and suddenly
Examples
“Public opinion can turn on a dime after a scandal.”
“A successful manager needs to adapt and be able to turn on a dime.”
“The market turned on a dime when new regulations were announced.”
Band 8 sentence
“Policy responses in a crisis can turn on a dime, so clear principles are essential.”
Collocations
- turn on a dime + when/after
- turn on a dime politically/economically
Word family
turn on a dime idiom
Common mistakes
turn on a day→turn on a dime
turn quickly→turn on a dime
Say it for a higher band
5change quickly→6shift abruptly→7+turn on a dime
Synonyms
change course quickly
shift abruptly
Easily confused
flip-flop
“The politician tended to flip-flop on major issues.”
Related words
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