turn over — generate revenue
To achieve a particular amount of business activity, especially in terms of money earned or sales made, typically used to describe a company’s annual or periodic revenue.
Say it like a native
Textbook The company generates approximately five million pounds annually.
Native The company turns over about five million a year.
'Turn over' is the standard business verb for total revenue; the paraphrase is wordy.
Pattern: turn over + amount (of money) / turn over + object (business, company)
In use
- The company turns over more than €5 million a year, making it one of the leading firms in the region.business
- In recent years, many tech startups have managed to turn over impressive sums despite operating at a loss.IELTS speaking
Common mistake
✗ The firm turns over of two million.
✓ The firm turns over two million.
'Turn over' takes the amount directly — no 'of'.
Common collocations
turn over + revenue— millions a year, £2m annually, more than, roughly
Don't confuse it
Unlike the B1 sense ('flip something over') and the B2 sense ('give responsibility'), this sense is abstract and specific to business English, describing financial activity rather than a physical action or transfer of control.
Related
- turn over (to turn something so the other side is facing up) — 'turn over' also has the more basic meaning 'to turn something so the other side is facing up'; this is the advanced sense.