Meaning trap
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.
Don't mix these meanings
Same phrase, different job.
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.
'turn over' also has the more basic meaning 'to turn something so the other side is facing up'; this is the advanced sense.
Hear it in context
Notice where the phrase sounds natural.
- 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
Fix the pattern
Pattern: turn over + amount (of money) / turn over + object (business, company)
WrongThe firm turns over of two million.
RightThe firm turns over two million.
'Turn over' takes the amount directly — no 'of'.
Patternturn over + amount (of money) / turn over + object (business, company)
Use it right
Choose the version that sounds natural in speech.
'Turn over' is the standard business verb for total revenue; the paraphrase is wordy.
Build natural chunks
Words that usually travel with it.
turn over + revenuemillions a year£2m annuallymore thanroughly
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.