tourner de l’œil

\tuʁ.ne də l‿œj\

/\tuʁ.ne də l‿œj\/ verb

The verdict

“tourner de l’œil” is uncommon French (outside the top frequency list), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency French
16
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Avoir un malaise, s’évanouir.

Corpus desk

Index FR-tourner-de-l-il · tourner de l’œil · French

tourner de l’œil · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MEGA 16 letters
  • VOW-6 6 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "T" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Key facts for tourner de l’œil
PropertyValue
Headwordtourner de l’œil
LanguageFrench
Part of speechVerb
IPA\tuʁ.ne də l‿œj\
Letters16
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Longue queue: rang de « tourner de l’œil » en français

tourner de l’œilsiège au-delà des 100.000 formes les plus fréquentes du français, dans la traîne du lexique spécialisé ou peu usité.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

tourner de l’œil is uncommon French outside the top frequency list, classed as averb, transcribed \tuʁ.ne də l‿œj\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

Zero misspellings are on record for tourner de l’œil in our index, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable French rules. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Wiktionary doesn't record an etymology for this headword, so its spelling is easiest explained by how it's pronounced rather than where it came from. The correct French form is tourner de l’œil, spelled T-O-U-R-N-E-R- -D-E- -L-’-Œ-I-L.

Definition

  1. 1
    Avoir un malaise, s’évanouir.
  2. 2
    Mourir.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how tourner de l’œil appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. L’odeur de la rafflésie est insupportable, et peut presque vous faire tourner de l’œil.
  2. — Mon petit, tâchez donc d’aller vous recoucher vivement : j’en ai assez de vous voir tourner de l’œil et joncher les tapis comme une fleur coupée !

Synonyms

This word in other languages

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "tourner de l’œil"?
"tourner de l’œil" is spelled T-O-U-R-N-E-R- -D-E- -L-’-Œ-I-L. The IPA pronunciation is \tuʁ.ne də l‿œj\.
What does "tourner de l’œil" mean?
As a verb, "tourner de l’œil" means: Avoir un malaise, s’évanouir.
How do you pronounce "tourner de l’œil"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "tourner de l’œil" is \tuʁ.ne də l‿œj\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "tourner de l’œil" come from?
"tourner de l’œil" is a French word. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for this and other words across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German on PlainSpell.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list