English

turnover

gb/tˈɚnˌoʊvɚ/ us/tˈɚnˌoʊvɚ/
A2 English
~ 2900
Senses
0 senses
Noun B1 quantity
1

Total sales over a period

The total money a company gets from selling things in a set time.

Usage pattern: [company] has a turnover of [amount]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse 'turnover' with 'profit', but turnover means total income before costs are subtracted.
Synonyms
revenue (General term for income from sales; slightly broader.) | sales (Focuses on the act of selling or number of items sold, not always total value.)
Antonyms
loss (Refers to when expenses are greater than income, opposite of positive turnover.)
Collocations
annual turnover |monthly turnover |high turnover |company turnover |turnover rate
Themes
business |finance
Examples
  • The company's annual turnover exceeded $2 million.
  • Our turnover increased by 15% compared to last year.
  • They reported a turnover of £500,000 for the last quarter.
Learner examples
  • The shop has a big turnover every month.
  • Their turnover is higher this year.
  • We want to increase our turnover.
Noun B2 quantity
2

Rate of staff leaving and replacing

How often workers leave a company and new people start.

Usage pattern: [company] has a turnover of [percentage]
Common mistake:
Learners may confuse this with 'layoff', but turnover includes voluntary and involuntary departures.
Synonyms
attrition (More formal HR term, often used in corporate contexts.)
Antonyms
retention (Refers to keeping employees for longer periods.)
Collocations
high staff turnover |employee turnover rate |reduce turnover |staff turnover
Themes
business |employment |work
Examples
  • The high staff turnover is costing the company money.
  • We need to find ways to lower employee turnover.
  • Staff turnover has been steadily decreasing.
Learner examples
  • The hotel has high staff turnover.
  • We want low employee turnover.
  • High turnover is bad for the team.
Noun B1 action
3

Act of flipping something over

When you turn something so the other side is on top.

Usage pattern: give [something] a turnover
Synonyms
flip (Informal term for quickly turning something over.)
Antonyms
upright position (State of not being turned over.)
Collocations
quick turnover of cards
Themes
daily life |daily_life |core_vocabulary
Examples
  • Give the pancake a quick turnover before it burns.
  • The gardener gave the soil a thorough turnover.
  • A sudden turnover of the boat threw them into the water.
Learner examples
  • Turn the page over with a quick turnover.
  • He gave the pancake a turnover.
  • The wind caused the boat's turnover.
Noun A2 entity
4

Folded pastry with filling

A baked food made by folding dough over fruit or meat inside.

Synonyms
pastie (Similar folded pastry, often savory; more common in UK.)
Collocations
apple turnover |cheese turnover
Themes
food |food_drink |daily_life
Examples
  • I bought an apple turnover from the bakery.
  • She served warm turnovers with ice cream.
  • The café offers both sweet and savory turnovers.
Learner examples
  • I like apple turnovers.
  • We ate turnovers for dessert.
  • He made meat turnovers for lunch.
Grammar
Dictionary form
turnover
IPA
GB/tˈɚnˌoʊvɚ/
US/tˈɚnˌoʊvɚ/
Syllables & stress
turnover (1 syllable)
Stress on 1st syllable (turnover)
Word forms
Noun
  • Base: turnover
  • Plural: turnover, turnovers
Word family
Forms
turnovers noun
Core family
turn verb A1
Related words
overturn verb B2 turnaround noun
Expressions

annual turnover

1
/ˈænjuəl tˈɚnˌoʊvɚ/
fixed phrase

Total yearly sales revenue

The total money a company gets from selling things in one year.

Examples
  • Our annual turnover reached $5 million last year.
  • They expect their annual turnover to grow by 10%.

high turnover

1
/hˈaɪ tˈɚnˌoʊvɚ/
fixed phrase

High rate of sales or staff changes

When sales or staff changes happen very often or in large amounts.

Examples
  • The store has high turnover during the holiday season.
  • High turnover in this department is a serious issue.

staff turnover

1
/stˈæf tˈɚnˌoʊvɚ/
fixed phrase

Rate of employees leaving and replaced

How often workers leave a company and new ones are hired.

Examples
  • Staff turnover has decreased since we improved working conditions.
  • High staff turnover can affect customer service quality.

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