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# reversal

«reversal» in Mova's school dictionary: **a change to the opposite direction, order or result** — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples, with 1 sentence of Mova's corpora that use it.

### part of speech

noun (a reversal, reversals)

### meaning for a pupil

1) A reversal is a change to the opposite direction, order or result. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/reversal/#m1)

2) A reversal can be a sudden change of fortune, often from good to bad. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/reversal/#m2)

3) (law) A reversal is when a decision is changed by a higher authority. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/reversal/#m3)

### sense in the lessons

In maths, reversal can mean undoing an operation (inverse operations, like reversing ×2 with ÷2) or reversing the order of digits. In science, a reversal of a process (melting then freezing) shows a reversible change. In stories and sports, a reversal is a big turnaround. Phrases: "a complete reversal", "role reversal", "reversal of fortune", "a policy reversal".

### examples

- The team made an amazing reversal in the second half. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/reversal/#x1)
- In the play there was a role reversal: the children were in charge and the parents obeyed. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/reversal/#x2)
- The new rule was a reversal of the old one. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/reversal/#x3)
- The reversal of 47 is 74. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/reversal/#x4)
- Freezing melted ice again is a reversal of the change. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/reversal/#x5)
- (law) The higher court ordered a reversal of the decision. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/reversal/#x6)
- Losing his job was a sad reversal of fortune. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/reversal/#x7)

### note

Countable: a reversal, reversals. Verb: reverse; adjective: reversible. In maths: reversing the digits of 52 gives 25, and 52 − 25 = 27 (a multiple of 9, true for every two-digit number). Reversing an operation is using its inverse.

### In the corpora

- [Christians see Pentecost, when Jesus' followers were understood in many languages, as the reversal of Babel.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/religion-ethics/3-noah-and-the-tower-of-babel/19/)

### Trees and pragmatics

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