turnover

turnover — noun

1. all the money a company receives from selling its products or services during a

1.nounC1
Definition

all the money a company receives from selling its products or services during a set period, such as a month or a year

Example

The company reported a turnover of $12 million for the last financial year.

collocation: turnover of [amount]

The bakery had an annual turnover of just over £500,000 before taxes.

collocation: annual turnover

Common collocations
  • annual turnover
  • total turnover
  • turnover of £X
  • report turnover
  • increase turnover
  • double turnover
  • gross turnover
Synonyms
  • revenue

    broader term covering all income before costs, while turnover specifically refers to sales value

  • sales

    more direct term for the act or volume of selling, less formal than turnover

  • gross income

    total earnings before deductions; more formal and accounting-focused

Grammar Patterns

turnover of [amount]

annual / monthly turnover

Usage Note

This sense is uncountable and usually appears with a modifier such as an adjective (annual, total, gross) or a prepositional phrase (turnover of + amount). Frequently used with verbs like report, achieve, increase, or double.

Common Mistakes

The turnover of employees grew last year.' (meaning business revenue).
The company's turnover grew last year.
'turnover' meaning business revenue refers to the company itself, not employees.
I earned a high turnover from my shop.
My shop generated a high turnover.
The turnover is the total sales amount; it is generated or reported, not personally earned.

2. the speed at which workers leave an organisation and new workers are brought in

2.nounC2
Definition

the speed at which workers leave an organisation and new workers are brought in to replace them

Example

The restaurant has a high staff turnover because the working hours are very long.

collocation: high staff turnover

Faisal noticed that employee turnover dropped after the company introduced flexible working.

collocation: employee turnover

Common collocations
  • high turnover
  • low turnover
  • staff turnover
  • employee turnover
  • turnover rate
  • reduce turnover
  • turnover among [group]
Synonyms
  • attrition

    more formal term focusing on natural reduction of staff over time

  • staff turnover

    more specific phrase; turnover on its own can refer to different things

  • churn

    informal term, often used for customers as well as employees

Grammar Patterns

turnover (of [number]%)

high / low turnover

staff / employee turnover

Usage Note

Commonly modified by high, low, or a percentage figure. Staff and employee are typical noun modifiers placed before turnover (staff turnover, employee turnover). This sense is often followed by among + group noun (turnover among nurses) or in + industry sector (turnover in retail).

Common Mistakes

The turnover of products is too high.' (meaning people leaving).
The turnover of staff is too high.
Clearly specify staff or employees to avoid confusion with the goods sense.

3. how quickly products are sold from a store or warehouse and then replaced with n

3.nounB2
Definition

how quickly products are sold from a store or warehouse and then replaced with new stock

Example

The bakery has a fast turnover on fresh bread, selling out by noon most days.

collocation: fast turnover (on something)

Kian keeps only a small stock because he relies on a quick turnover of goods.

collocation: quick turnover of goods

Common collocations
  • fast turnover
  • quick turnover
  • slow turnover
  • turnover of stock
  • turnover on [product]
  • high turnover
  • low turnover
Synonyms

Grammar Patterns

turnover (of something)

fast / quick / slow turnover

Usage Note

Often appears with an adjective describing speed (fast, quick, slow, rapid) and the preposition on + product category or of + stock. Unlike the BUSINESS sense, this sense focuses on the rate of sale and replacement cycle, not on monetary value.

Common Mistakes

We need to increase the turnover of our employees.' (meaning products).
We need to increase the turnover of our stock.
Use 'stock' or 'products' to refer to goods being sold and restocked.

4. a small baked item created by placing a sweet filling, usually fruit, on one hal

4.nounB1
Definition

a small baked item created by placing a sweet filling, usually fruit, on one half of pastry dough and folding the other half over the top to form a sealed pocket

Example

Lara bought an apple turnover from the café for her afternoon snack.

collocation: apple turnover

The pastry chef filled each turnover with cherry jam and a dusting of sugar.

Common collocations
  • apple turnover
  • cherry turnover
  • peach turnover
  • savoury turnover
  • turnover filled with [X]
  • bake turnovers
Synonyms
  • pastry

    broader category; not all pastries are turnovers

  • hand pie

    American term for a similar single-serving filled pastry

  • empanada

    a savoury Latin American turnover, typically fried or baked with meat or cheese filling

Grammar Patterns

[fruit] turnover

turnover filled with [ingredient]

Usage Note

Turnovers in this sense are countable. The type of filling typically precedes the word (apple turnover, cherry turnover). Savoury versions exist but are less common than sweet fruit turnovers. In American English, a turnover is similar to a handheld pie.

5. in basketball, American football, rugby, and similar sports, a situation where a

5.nounB2
Definition

in basketball, American football, rugby, and similar sports, a situation where a player loses the ball to the opposing team through a mistake or a rule violation

Example

Andrew forced a turnover in the final minute, giving his team a chance to win.

collocation: force a turnover

The point guard had five turnovers in the first half, which hurt the team's performance.

Common collocations
  • force a turnover
  • commit a turnover
  • avoid turnovers
  • five turnovers
  • turnover ratio
  • turnover margin
Synonyms
  • loss of possession

    more formal and descriptive; used in official game reports

  • giveaway

    less common synonym, used mainly in hockey and basketball broadcasts

Antonyms
  • takeaway

    the act of gaining possession from the opposing team; the positive counterpart of a turnover

  • steal

    specific type of takeaway in basketball where a defender takes the ball from an opponent

Grammar Patterns

[number] turnovers

commit / force a turnover

Usage Note

Primarily used in North American sports commentary and analysis. Common verbs paired with this sense are force, commit, cause, record, and avoid. It is also used metaphorically in business contexts ('a political turnover') though this is rare.

turnover — adjective

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Turnover, revenue, sales, volume, and income all relate to a company's financial performance, but they differ in scope and usage. Turnover specifically refers to the total value of goods or services sold over a period — common in British and international business English. Revenue is broader, including all income from operations before costs are deducted; it is the preferred term in American English. Sales focuses on the actual transactions or units sold — 'the company's sales hit a record high' emphasises the activity or volume. Volume measures quantity (units, litres, hours) rather than monetary value. Income is the broadest term and can include non-operating earnings like investments. For example: 'The company's turnover exceeded £2 million' (total sales value), but 'The company's revenue includes service fees and interest' (broader income). In American financial reports, turnover is rarely used for this sense; revenue is standard.

revenue ↗salesvolume ↗income ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • staff turnover
  • employee turnover
  • stock turnover
  • inventory turnover
  • annual turnover
  • monthly turnover

Phrases

  • high rate of turnover
  • low turnover rate

Prepositions

  • turnover of
  • turnover on
  • turnover among
  • turnover in

Etymology

English (verb phrase)English (noun compound)

The noun turnover is formed from the verb phrase 'turn over', which has been used since the 1300s to mean 'to rotate, to roll from one side to the other'. Around the late 1800s, the phrase was combined into a single word and applied to commerce to describe the amount of money 'turning over' through a business. The pastry sense appeared at roughly the same time (late 19th century), named because the dough is folded or 'turned over' onto the filling. The sports sense emerged in the mid-1900s in American basketball and football, where a change of possession is described as the ball 'turning over' to the other team. The biological and metaphorical senses are later developments from the core idea of replacement or reversal.