Definition

1. Verb:
   • To turn back / to return: To go back to a place one has just left; to reverse one's direction of movement.
   • To turn inside out / to reverse: To flip something, especially fabric or clothing, so that the inner side becomes the outer side.

Usage Examples

• Verb:
  • Anh ấy mới đi được năm phút đã lộn lại. (He had only been gone for five minutes before he turned back.)
  • Cô ấy lộn lại chiếc áo để khâu đường chỉ. (She turned the shirt inside out to sew the seam.)

Advanced Usage

• The phrase can imply a quick or unexpected return or reversal.
• It is often used for physical objects (like clothing) or physical movement, not for abstract concepts.

Variants and Related Words

• Quay lại (v): to turn back, to return. This is a more general synonym.
• Trở lại (v): to come back, to return. Often used for returning to a state or place over a longer period.

Synonyms

• Return: to come or go back to a place.
• Turn back: to reverse one's course.
• Flip: to turn something over quickly.
• Invert: to put something upside down or in the opposite order.

Related Idioms and Phrases

• Đi lộn lại: to go and then immediately come back.
  • Tôi chỉ đi lộn lại thôi, không lâu đâu. (I'm just going and coming right back, it won't be long.)