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# anticlockwise

«anticlockwise» in Mova's school dictionary: **turning in the opposite direction to the hands of a…** — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples.

### part of speech

adverb and adjective (anticlockwise) — UK, Ireland, Australia, NZ; US and Canada say «counterclockwise»

### meaning for a pupil

1) Anticlockwise means turning in the opposite direction to the hands of a clock: from 12 towards 9, then 6, then 3. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/A/anticlockwise/#m1)

2) As an adjective it describes that direction («an anticlockwise turn»). [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/A/anticlockwise/#m2)

### sense in the lessons

In maths lessons on turns, angles and rotation, shapes are turned clockwise or anticlockwise by a quarter, half or three-quarter turn. In everyday life you turn many lids and taps anticlockwise to open them («lefty loosey»). In PE and dance, children move round the circle anticlockwise.

### examples

- Turn the jar lid anticlockwise to open it. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/A/anticlockwise/#x1)
- Rotate the triangle a quarter turn anticlockwise. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/A/anticlockwise/#x2)
- We ran anticlockwise round the track. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/A/anticlockwise/#x3)
- The roundabout in the UK goes clockwise, but in the USA traffic goes counterclockwise. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/A/anticlockwise/#x4)
- Turn the tap anticlockwise to let the water out. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/A/anticlockwise/#x5)
- Draw the arrow showing an anticlockwise turn. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/A/anticlockwise/#x6)
- Stir the paint anticlockwise. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/A/anticlockwise/#x7)

### note

Written as one word; some write «anti-clockwise». US/Canada: counterclockwise. In maths a quarter turn = 90 degrees, a half turn = 180, a three-quarter turn anticlockwise is the same as a quarter turn clockwise.

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every meaning and example of «anticlockwise» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/A/anticlockwise/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.