reversing
- 1Present participle of reverse.
The board is reversing its policy on remote work.
Reversing the downward trend will require years of investment.
Note
The -ing form does two jobs: it is a participle in the progressive (the board is reversing its policy) and a gerund heading a noun phrase (reversing the downward trend). Both keep the verb's grammar, taking a direct object straight after. It carries every current meaning of reverse: turning around, flipping inside out, swapping two things, changing to the opposite. The intransitive 'return, come back' is obsolete and belongs to old texts.
- 2An act of turning something to the opposite direction, order, or condition.
The court's reversing of the verdict drew national attention.
A complete reversing of fortunes left the once-poor family wealthy.
Similarreversal, overturning, turnaround
Note
A true countable noun, with a plural, reversings, and it behaves like one. It takes a determiner, an adjective and an of-phrase: the court's reversing of the verdict, a complete reversing of fortunes. That of is the quickest way to tell it from the gerund, which keeps a direct object (reversing the verdict) and cannot be made plural.
Showing meanings only.
reversing is a form of reverse
reverse, verb: To turn something around so that it faces the opposite way or proceeds in the opposite order. Full entry
- Spelling
- reverse → reversing: drop the e, add -ing
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