Turn over is a verbal phrase. Turnover is a closed compound word. We will examine the meaning of the terms turn over and turnover, their etymologies, and some examples of their use in a sentence or two.
Turn over means to flip something upside down, to start a combustion engine, to consider an idea or book slowly, or to give possession of something to someone else. Turn over is a verbal phrase; related phrases are turns over, turned over, turning over.
Turnover may mean the amount of money a business takes in over a short period of time; the rate at which employees join a company and leave a company; the rate at which inventory is sold and replaced; the relinquishment of the ball during a game; or a small pie with crust that is folded in half. The word turnover is a closed compound word that came into use in the mid-1600s. The plural of turnover is turnovers.
Examples
Beaufort County Council members want to turn over intersection project to Bluffton (Bluffton Today)
Turn over a rock and you’ll find it teeming with family secrets: incest, murder, madness. (Publishers Weekly)
The turnover on Detroit’s council marks the most the city has seen since five new members were elected amid Detroit’s bankruptcy in 2013. (Detroit News)
Finish it up with a delicious, chocolate cupcake, or one of their many other baked goods: baklava, caramel brownie square, apple turnover, tiramisu, and plenty more. (Norwich Bulletin)