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handbrake turn

British

noun

a turn sharply reversing the direction of a vehicle by speedily applying the handbrake while turning the steering wheel

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

But in October this year the Church's leaders performed what one of their critics describes as "a handbrake turn".

From BBC • Dec. 24, 2025

One shadow minister said that while today's announcement felt like a bit of a handbrake turn, it was nonetheless inevitable and sensible.

From BBC • Jun. 9, 2023

But many investors do view the UK's handbrake turn as a potential gamechanger.

From Reuters • Oct. 18, 2022

But they did not so much take their foot off the gas as apply the handbrake, turn off the engine and throw the key out of the window.

From The Guardian • Jun. 5, 2015

Not even Harvey could pull off that handbrake turn.

From The Guardian • Feb. 25, 2013

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023