Definition

1. Verb:
   • To turn over; to flip: To change the position of an object so the opposite side faces up or out.
   • To turn back; to return: To go or come back to a previous place, state, or direction.
   • To change (for the worse); to take a turn: To shift, often suddenly, to a different and typically less favorable state or condition, especially regarding weather, health, or fortune.
   • To face; to be oriented: To have a front or specific side directed toward a particular point or direction.

Usage Examples

• Verb:
  • Chị ấy trở miếng cá trên chảo. (She flipped the piece of fish in the pan.)
  • Anh ấy trở về nhà sau chuyến công tác dài. (He returned home after a long business trip.)
  • Thời tiết đột nhiên trở lạnh. (The weather suddenly turned cold.)
  • Căn phòng trở cửa ra phía biển. (The room faces its door toward the sea.)

Advanced Usage

• "trở thành": to become, to turn into.
  • Cô ấy ước mơ trở thành bác sĩ. (She dreams of becoming a doctor.)
• "trở lại": to come back, to return (emphasizing the action of coming back to a previous state or place).
  • Xin hãy trở lại vào ngày mai. (Please come back tomorrow.)
• "trở nên": to become (used before adjectives to indicate a change of state).
  • Mọi chuyện trở nên rất phức tạp. (Everything became very complicated.)

Variants and Related Words

• Trở mặt (v): to turn hostile, to betray; literally "to flip one's face."
  • Hắn ta đột nhiên trở mặt và tấn công đồng đội. (He suddenly turned hostile and attacked his teammates.)
• Trở gió (v): for the wind to change direction; figuratively, for a situation or person's attitude to change unpredictably.
  • Chính sách của công ty có thể trở gió bất cứ lúc nào. (The company's policy could change direction at any time.)

Synonyms

• Turn: to move around an axis or change direction.
• Flip: to turn something over quickly.
• Return: to go or come back.
• Change: to become different.

Related Idioms

• Trở trăn: to toss and turn (in bed); to be restless with worry.
  • Ông ấy trở trăn cả đêm vì lo lắng. (He tossed and turned all night from worry.)
• Trở đầu đũa: to flip the chopsticks; to be fickle, to change sides or opinions easily.
  • Đừng tin hắn, hắn là kẻ hay trở đầu đũa. (Don't trust him; he is a flip-flopper.)

verb

1. to turn; to change