Illustration of turkey
- turkey 1
plural turkeys
1
plural also turkey
: a large North American gallinaceous bird (Meleagris gallopavo) that is domesticated in most parts of the world
3
: three successive strikes in bowling
4
: a stupid, foolish, or inept person
Synonyms
Examples of turkey in a Sentence
He was acting like a complete turkey.
only a turkey would think it's a good idea to go for a jog when the weather drops below zero
Recent Examples on the Web
After countless hours in the oven, the turkey was still frozen.
—
Los Angeles Times Staff, Los Angeles Times, 19 Apr. 2024
Find these things, and the turkeys won’t be far away.
—Will Brantley, Field & Stream, 17 Apr. 2024
His genitals would be heavy yet flaccid, fleshy skin sacs reddened with indignation, like the wattles of an angry turkey.
—Joyce Carol Oates, The New Yorker, 15 Apr. 2024
But maybe Franklin will help Franklin the diplomat who negotiated the Treaty of Alliance at least become better known than Franklin the scientist who electrocuted a turkey.
—Craig Bruce Smith, TIME, 12 Apr. 2024
A lot of cooking is about generating those reactions, from tossing beef in a wok over high heat to coaxing a Thanksgiving turkey to achieve crisp skin.
—Julia Moskin, New York Times, 8 Apr. 2024
How To Prevent Drowsiness Most Americans sit down for a large meal featuring turkey as the main course on Thanksgiving.
—Cat Lafuente, Health, 29 Mar. 2024
The company is offering up a menu of full Easter meals to simplify hosting, each including their signature ham with its classic sweet-and-crunchy glaze or tender turkey breast.
—Abigail Wilt, Southern Living, 10 Mar. 2024
Johnsonville recalled Polish kielbasa turkey sausage produced between Oct. 30 and 31, 2023.
—Journal Sentinel, 9 Mar. 2024
Los Angeles Times Staff, Los Angeles Times, 19 Apr. 2024
Find these things, and the turkeys won’t be far away.
—Will Brantley, Field & Stream, 17 Apr. 2024
His genitals would be heavy yet flaccid, fleshy skin sacs reddened with indignation, like the wattles of an angry turkey.
—Joyce Carol Oates, The New Yorker, 15 Apr. 2024
But maybe Franklin will help Franklin the diplomat who negotiated the Treaty of Alliance at least become better known than Franklin the scientist who electrocuted a turkey.
—Craig Bruce Smith, TIME, 12 Apr. 2024
A lot of cooking is about generating those reactions, from tossing beef in a wok over high heat to coaxing a Thanksgiving turkey to achieve crisp skin.
—Julia Moskin, New York Times, 8 Apr. 2024
How To Prevent Drowsiness Most Americans sit down for a large meal featuring turkey as the main course on Thanksgiving.
—Cat Lafuente, Health, 29 Mar. 2024
The company is offering up a menu of full Easter meals to simplify hosting, each including their signature ham with its classic sweet-and-crunchy glaze or tender turkey breast.
—Abigail Wilt, Southern Living, 10 Mar. 2024
Johnsonville recalled Polish kielbasa turkey sausage produced between Oct. 30 and 31, 2023.
—Journal Sentinel, 9 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'turkey.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near turkey
Cite this Entry
“Turkey.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/turkey. Accessed 25 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
turkey
noun
tur·key
ˈtər-kē 
plural turkeys
1
plural also turkey
: a large North American bird that is related to the domestic chicken and is domesticated in most parts of the world
2
: something that is a failure
the new play was a turkey
3
: a stupid or foolish person
Etymology
from turkey-cock, an old word for "guinea fowl," from Turkey, a country in Asia Minor; so called because at one time people thought guinea fowl came from Turkey
Word Origin
The bird we now call the guinea fowl was once called the turkey. Turkey was the shortened version of turkey-cock and turkey-hen. The guinea fowl's original home was in Africa. However, Europeans discovered that it was good to eat and did well in captivity, so they brought it back to Europe. Some people mistakenly thought that the birds came from Turkey, and the name stuck. Later, when English settlers first arrived in America, they found a large bird living here that was also good to eat. They called this new bird turkey because it reminded them of the turkey they were familiar with back in Europe.
Geographical Definition
Turkey
geographical name
Tur·key
ˈtər-kē
variants
or now officially Türkiye
country in western Asia and southeastern Europe between the Mediterranean and Black seas; capital Ankara area 302,535 square miles (783,562 square kilometers), population 81,257,000 see ottoman empire
Note: Turkey was formerly the center of an empire whose capital was Constantinople. Since 1923 it has been a republic.
see also turk sense 1
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share