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
-
The license revocations had marked a broader policy reversal, as Washington responded to what officials described as Nicolás Maduro’s failure to uphold commitments tied to democratic reforms and migration cooperation.—
Antonio María Delgado,
Miami Herald,
30 July 2025
-
Coenraads served as research director for seven years and demonstrated the first global reversal of symptoms in preclinical models in 2007.—
Maggie McGrath,
Forbes.com,
30 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 6 Aug. 2025.
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