volte-face
French, noun/vɔl.t(ə).fas/
volte-face is spelled V-O-L-T-E-F-A-C-E (9 letters). Volte-face is a French feminine noun meaning “U-turn; about face (act of turning round 180 degrees)” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The French Wiktionary (Wiktionnaire) defines it as “Action de se retourner pour faire face”.
What does volte-face mean in English?
noun
- 1
feminineU-turn; about face (act of turning round 180 degrees)
- 2
feminineU-turn; volte-face
Source: English Wiktionary, French section, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0).
How French dictionaries define it
noun: 1. Action de se retourner pour faire face. 2. Changement d'avis, de comportement, de but, au cours d’une action.
The definition in the French Wiktionary (Wiktionnaire), in French.
Source: French Wiktionary (Wiktionnaire), dump of September 1, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org.
Forms of volte-face
- volte-faces plural
- volteface
Source: English Wiktionary and French Wiktionary (Wiktionnaire) (dumps of September 2, 2026 and September 1, 2026).
How do you pronounce volte-face?
- /vɔl.t(ə).fas/
- \vɔl.t(ə).fas\
- \vɔl.tfas\
Sources: English Wiktionary, French Wiktionary (Wiktionnaire) (dumps of September 2, 2026 and September 1, 2026); recordings from Wikimedia Commons.
English words that translate to volte-face
Source: the translation tables of the English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026.