[Elamur Dictionary](https://md.dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/english/inversion/)

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# inversion

noun (inversion, inversions)

«inversion» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. Turning something upside down or the other way round. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/inversion/#m1)
2. (maths) Changing to the opposite or reverse, such as swapping the top and bottom of a fraction, or using the inverse operation. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/inversion/#m2)
3. (grammar) Changing the usual order of words, like putting the verb before the subject in a question («Are you…?»). [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/inversion/#m3)
4. (weather) A temperature inversion: a layer of warm air over cold air near the ground that traps fog and smoke. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/inversion/#m4)
5. (music) Changing the order of the notes in a chord. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/inversion/#m5)

### In the lessons

In maths it links to inverse operations (addition and subtraction undo each other) and to flipping fractions when dividing. In English grammar, questions and phrases like «Never have I seen…» use inversion. In science and geography, temperature inversions cause smog. On roller coasters, an inversion is a loop that turns riders upside down. Phrases: temperature inversion, word order inversion.

### Examples

- The roller coaster has three inversions. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/inversion/#x1)
- To divide by a fraction, we use inversion: 1/2 becomes 2/1. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/inversion/#x2)
- «Are you ready?» uses inversion of the subject and the verb. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/inversion/#x3)
- A temperature inversion trapped the smoke over the city. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/inversion/#x4)
- The poem uses inversion to make the rhyme fit. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/inversion/#x5)
- The pianist played the chord in its first inversion. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/inversion/#x6)
- Inversion of colours turns black into white on the screen. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/inversion/#x7)

### Note

Countable or uncountable. Verb: invert; related adjective and noun: inverse. Trap: in maths «inverse» is the usual word for the opposite operation; «inversion» is the act of turning it over. Do not mix up with «invasion».

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «inversion» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/inversion/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«inversion» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/inversion.html) on Mova free.