How do you say “Turn the tide” in French?
The closest natural French equivalent is renverser la vapeur, which literally means “to reverse the steam”. English speakers use turn the tide to mean to change the direction of events, often in your favour. A familiar French image for reversing how things are going. It is useful for a losing team or a campaign gaining strength. Register: informal. Usage frequency: common.
Closest natural French
renverser la vapeur
/ʁɑ̃vɛʁse la vapœʁ/
- Literal meaning
- “to reverse the steam”
- Register
- informal
- How often it's used
- common
- Equivalence
Near-exact equivalent
94 out of 100
What a native French speaker would actually say
The expression suggests changing direction, rather than making a small adjustment. The steam image can be understood as reversing an engine.
Use it when the change affects the wider situation. A single action matters because it starts that reversal.
How close is the meaning?
- Meaning5 out of 5
- Tone5 out of 5
- Context5 out of 5
- Literal similarity2 out of 5
These ratings are editorial approximations, not measurements.
In context
English
One late goal turned the tide of the match.
French
Un but tardif a renversé la vapeur dans le match.
English
The volunteers’ work helped turn the tide against the library closure.
French
Le travail des bénévoles a aidé à renverser la vapeur dans la lutte contre la fermeture de la bibliothèque.
Related expressions
Last updated 2026-11-13