Definition of turn over

The expression "turn over" has been in use for several centuries, tracing its roots back to the mid-1400s. Initially, it referred to the act of physically rotating an object over or upside down, as in "turning over a table." However, by the early 1500s, the meaning of the phrase began to shift. It came to signify a transfer of ownership or responsibility from one party to another, as in "turning over a business to a new manager." This use of the phrase likely originated from the transferred meaning of "turn over" still in use in modern times to refer to yielding earnings or profits. The phrase also evolved to denote a completion of a given process in certain contexts, such as "the patient turned over to recover after the surgery." Here, it refers to the point at which the patient passes from the care of one medical professional to the next, setting in motion the process of recovery. Despite its varied usage today, "turn over" remains rooted in the literal sense of rotating an object, underscoring its enduring significance in common parlance.