Tiếng Việt · Word Attested

quay xe

[kwaj˧˧ sɛ˧˧]

In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.

Sense 1

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

rút lui; hủy bỏ

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Where it’s used: Used Toàn quốc & hải ngoại · Vietnam-wide & diaspora

Sources & notes

Imported from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-29); community review pending. source ↗

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

To make an abrupt U-turn — suddenly backing out, changing sides, or reversing a decision.

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

đổi hướng đột ngột, thay đổi quyết định

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Literally: To turn the vehicle around.

Narrating sudden reversals: a date gone wrong, a plan abandoned, a fan switching idols.

Where it’s used: Used Toàn quốc & hải ngoại · Vietnam-wide & diaspora Origin Mạng xã hội · Vietnamese internet culture

Nghe tới đoạn phải dậy lúc 5 giờ sáng là nó quay xe liền.The moment he heard it meant a 5 a.m. start, he U-turned instantly.

Editorial example (illustrative, not a corpus attestation)

Sources & notes

Curated editorially (owner-requested humorous-slang research, July 2026). Popularized as a meme around 2021. Era: ~2021 – present.

What does “quay xe” mean?

(verb) to back out; to call off

Is “quay xe” formal or informal?

No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.