as in reversal
a changing from one policy or point of view to virtually its exact opposite
the novelist's unexpected volte-face from experimentalism to traditional narrative form
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of volte-face
Britain is not the only country pressed into making a volte-face.
—
London Business School, Forbes, 24 Feb. 2025
The realities of Putin’s momentum, coupled with Washington’s volte-face, have led to a clear mood shift in Kyiv.
—Daryna Mayer, NBC News, 13 Feb. 2025
Read More: How Thailand’s Deputy Prime Minister Pushed Through Asia’s First Cannabis Legalization
Cannabis advocacy groups and businesses have voiced their opposition to the policy volte-face, staging rallies and threatening a legal challenge against the premier.
—Pathom Sangwongwanich / Bloomberg, TIME, 27 June 2024
The policy volte-face is another blow to Thailand’s nascent cannabis industry after decriminalization was pitched as a way to boost agricultural income and wellness tourism.
—TIME, 10 May 2024
Jordan’s participation signaled a kind of volte-face for a state that has been unsparing in its criticism of Israel’s six-month military campaign in the Gaza Strip.
—Matt Bradley, NBC News, 16 Apr. 2024
The Brits demanded a volte-face, thought her European stylist Tati Cotliar, fashion director of riotous cool-girl mag Buffalo Zine.
—Alice Newbold, Vogue, 2 Mar. 2024
But some are less positive about the apparent volte-face.
—WIRED, 6 Sep. 2023
By interring the theory, Chief Justice Roberts executed a transparent volte-face.
—Simon Lazarus, The New Republic, 16 Aug. 2023
London Business School, Forbes, 24 Feb. 2025
The realities of Putin’s momentum, coupled with Washington’s volte-face, have led to a clear mood shift in Kyiv.
—Daryna Mayer, NBC News, 13 Feb. 2025
Read More: How Thailand’s Deputy Prime Minister Pushed Through Asia’s First Cannabis Legalization
Cannabis advocacy groups and businesses have voiced their opposition to the policy volte-face, staging rallies and threatening a legal challenge against the premier.
—Pathom Sangwongwanich / Bloomberg, TIME, 27 June 2024
The policy volte-face is another blow to Thailand’s nascent cannabis industry after decriminalization was pitched as a way to boost agricultural income and wellness tourism.
—TIME, 10 May 2024
Jordan’s participation signaled a kind of volte-face for a state that has been unsparing in its criticism of Israel’s six-month military campaign in the Gaza Strip.
—Matt Bradley, NBC News, 16 Apr. 2024
The Brits demanded a volte-face, thought her European stylist Tati Cotliar, fashion director of riotous cool-girl mag Buffalo Zine.
—Alice Newbold, Vogue, 2 Mar. 2024
But some are less positive about the apparent volte-face.
—WIRED, 6 Sep. 2023
By interring the theory, Chief Justice Roberts executed a transparent volte-face.
—Simon Lazarus, The New Republic, 16 Aug. 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for volte-face
Noun
-
What followed the takeover can only be described as a total reversal of the progress made in the country during the twenty years of the Afghan Republic, and the return of terror.—
Dr. Ewelina U. Ochab,
Forbes.com,
20 July 2025
-
For President Donald Trump, whose political career has benefited from voter anxiety over Washington elites, the health of his predecessor and the riches of Wall Street, the past week offered a reversal of fortune.—
Josh Wingrove,
Fortune,
19 July 2025
Noun
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But three of them have done an about-face, ending or limiting coverage for hundreds of thousands of immigrants who aren’t in the U.S. legally in California, Illinois and Minnesota.—
Trân Nguyễn,
Fortune,
22 July 2025
-
Last week, the U.S. Justice Department recommended no prison time for Hankison, in an abrupt about-face by federal prosecutors that has angered critics after the department spent years prosecuting the former detective.—
Dylan Lovan,
Chicago Tribune,
21 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Volte-face.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/volte-face. Accessed 30 Jul. 2025.
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