Revised 2009 More entries for "about-face"

about-faceadverb & noun

Etymology
Meaning & use
Pronunciation
Frequency

Quotations

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Factsheet

What does the word about-face mean?

There are three meanings listed in OED's entry for the word about-face. See ‘Meaning & use’ for definitions, usage, and quotation evidence.

This word is used in U.S. English.

See meaning & use

How common is the word about-face?

About 0.1occurrences per million words in modern written English

1820	0.0021
1830	0.0028
1840	0.0046
1850	0.0065
1860	0.0088
1870	0.012
1880	0.016
1890	0.023
1900	0.031
1910	0.049
1920	0.079
1930	0.1
1940	0.12
1950	0.14
1960	0.14
1970	0.13
1980	0.13
1990	0.13
2000	0.13
2010	0.13

See frequency

How is the word about-face pronounced?

British English

/əˌbaʊtˈfeɪs/

uh-bowt-FAYSS

U.S. English

/əˌbaʊtˈfeɪs/

uh-bowt-FAYSS

See pronunciation

Where does the word about-face come from?

Earliest known use

1820s

The earliest known use of the word about-face is in the 1820s.

OED's earliest evidence for about-face is from 1820, in the writing of Mrs. Purcell.

It is also recorded as a verb from the 1800s.

about-face is formed within English, by conversion.

Etymons: about-face v.

See etymology

Nearby entries

aboundable, adj.?1440–
abounder, n.1755–1895
abounding, n.c1425–
abounding, adj.1560–
aboundingly, adv.c1400–
about, v.¹1694–1856
about, v.²1725–1800
about, adv., prep.¹, adj., int.Old English–
about, prep.² & conj.late Old English–1300
about-face, v.1804–
about-face, adv. & n.1820–
aboutness, n.1906–
about round, adv.a1393–1699
abouts, adv. & prep.a1387–
about-sledge, n.1678–
aboutspeech, n.a1522
aboutstanding, n.1340
about-turn, n.1912–
about-turn, v.1893–
aboutward, adv.?a1425–1602
aboutwards, adv.1536–1611

Browse more nearby entries

Etymology

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Meaning & use

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Pronunciation

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Entry history for about-face, adv. & n.

about-face, adv. & n. was revised in September 2009.

about-face, adv. & n. was last modified in September 2023.

oed.com is a living text, updated every three months. Modifications may include:

further revisions to definitions, pronunciation, etymology, headwords, variant spellings, quotations, and dates;
new senses, phrases, and quotations.

Revisions and additions of this kind were last incorporated into about-face, adv. & n. in September 2023.

Earlier versions of this entry were published in:

A Supplement to the OED, Volume I (1972)

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OED Second Edition (1989)

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View about-face, v. intr. and n. in OED Second Edition

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Oxford English Dictionary, s.v. “,” , .

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“” Oxford English Dictionary, Oxford UP, , .

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Citation details

Factsheet for about-face, adv. & n.

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Nearby entries

aboundable, adj.?1440–
abounder, n.1755–1895
abounding, n.c1425–
abounding, adj.1560–
aboundingly, adv.c1400–
about, v.¹1694–1856
about, v.²1725–1800
about, adv., prep.¹, adj., int.Old English–
about, prep.² & conj.late Old English–1300
about-face, v.1804–
about-face, adv. & n.1820–
aboutness, n.1906–
about round, adv.a1393–1699
abouts, adv. & prep.a1387–
about-sledge, n.1678–
aboutspeech, n.a1522
aboutstanding, n.1340
about-turn, n.1912–
about-turn, v.1893–
aboutward, adv.?a1425–1602
aboutwards, adv.1536–1611

Browse more nearby entries