evert

IPA/ɪˈvɜːt/
KK[ɪvˈɚt]IPA/ɪˈvɝːt/

evert — verb

  • evertpresent simple I / you / we / they
  • everts3rd person singular
  • everting-ing form
  • evertedpast simple

1. to pull or fold something so the part normally inside faces outward

1.verbtransitiveC2
Definition

to pull or fold something so the part normally inside faces outward

Example

The nurse everted Hamza's eyelid to check for a grain of sand.

evert + eyelid for inspection

During the exam, Elena gently everted the baby's lower lip.

evert + lip in a medical exam

Common collocations
  • evert the eyelid
  • evert the lower lip
  • evert the wound edge
Synonyms
  • invert

    broader technical verb that can also mean reverse order or position

  • turn inside out

    everyday phrase, especially for clothes, bags, or pockets

  • fold back

    describes the movement but not always the final outward result

Antonyms
  • invaginate

    technical opposite meaning to turn a surface inward

  • fold inward

    plain-English description of the opposite direction

Grammar Patterns

evert + body part

evert + object

Usage Note

Most often used in formal medical contexts for eyelids, lips, or wound edges. For ordinary objects, people usually say 'turn inside out' instead.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

'Evert' is a very formal verb for turning something so the inner surface faces outward. It is especially common in medicine, where a doctor may evert an eyelid, a lip, or the edge of a wound. 'Invert' is also formal, but it is broader: it can describe turning something upside down, reversing order, or flipping a shape in science or maths. 'Turn inside out' is the everyday phrase for clothes, bags, and similar objects. 'Fold back' focuses on bending a layer away, but it does not always mean the inner side ends up on the outside. You might evert an eyelid in a clinic, invert a bottle in an experiment, and turn a sock inside out before washing it.

evert ↗invert ↗turn inside outfold back

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • evert the eyelid
  • evert the lower lip
  • evert the wound edge

Etymology

LatinEnglish

'Evert' came into English from Latin 'evertere', built from 'e-' meaning 'out' and 'vertere' meaning 'turn'. Earlier uses could mean overturning something, but the modern formal sense narrowed to turning a part outward so its inner side shows. That history matches current medical use, where an eyelid, lip, or wound edge is turned out for checking or treatment.

First known use

1533

1533, in the meaning defined at sense 1