J-turn

noun

A 180-degree turn in a vehicle, where the vehicle starts in reverse and ends driving forwards so that the direction of travel remains the same.

Meanings

nounJ-turn (plural J-turns)

plural J-turns

  1. A 180-degree turn in a vehicle, where the vehicle starts in reverse and ends driving forwards so that the direction of travel remains the same.

    The institute reported that its tests showed the CJ-5 would overturn when performing a J-turn at just 22 mph.

    2001, Carl T. Bogus, Why Lawsuits are Good for America: Disciplined Democracy, Big Business, and the Common Law, New York University Press, page 160
    2 more examples

    This maneuver results in spinning the vehicle into a perfect 180-degree J-turn. Without losing any momentum, the driver then guns the engine and speeds off in the opposite direction.

    2006, Henry M. Holden, To Be a U.S. Secret Service Agent, Zenith Press, page 47

    Comparisons between referenced car and optimised car are shown in Figs. 7.13-7.15, referring to a J-turn manoeuvre, a steady-state turning manoeuvre and a power on-off while steering manoeuvre.

    2006, Giampiero Mastinu, Massimiliano Gobbi, Carlo Miano, Optimal Design of Complex Mechanical Systems: With Applications to Vehicle Engineering, Springer, page 205

Origin

J + turn, from the similarity to the shape of the letter J.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

J-turn. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/J-turn

MLA

“J-turn.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/J-turn. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “J-turn,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/J-turn.

Source: J-turn on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.