turret

noun

tur·​ret ˈtər-ət 

ˈtə-rət,

ˈtu̇r-ət 

1

: a little tower

specifically : an ornamental structure at an angle of a larger structure

2

a(1)

: a revolving armored structure on a warship that protects one or more guns mounted within it

(2)

: a similar upper structure usually for one gun on a tank

(3)

: a gunner's fixed or movable enclosure in an airplane

b

: a tall building usually moved on wheels and formerly used for carrying soldiers and equipment for breaching or scaling a wall

3

a

: a pivoted and revolvable holder in a machine tool

b

: a device (as on a microscope or a television camera) holding several lenses

Examples of turret in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

As Malaparte saw it, both Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union had produced a new type of worker-peasant, more at home with tank turrets than with plows. —Thomas Meaney, New Yorker, 2 July 2025

Between those semi-engaging chase sequences is a seemingly endless parade of showdowns with stationary turrets. —ArsTechnica, 9 May 2025

The four-person crew and its 18-ton, tracked 2S1 howitzer—a 122-millimeter gun in a turret on a lightly-armored chassis—live tens of feet underground in a dugout clearly carved out of the soil by heavy engineering equipment. —David Axe, Forbes.com, 8 May 2025

The villa was built in the 1920s, so a sense of history threads throughout, from the Art Nouveau facades to the handsome turret. —Nicole Kliest, Vogue, 17 May 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English touret, from Anglo-French turette, tourette, diminutive of tur, tour tower — more at tower

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for turret

• urate

Kids Definition

turret

noun

tur·​ret ˈtər-ət  ˈtə-rət 

tu̇r-ət

1

: a little tower often at a corner of a building

2

: a low usually rotating structure (as in a tank, warship, or airplane) in which guns are mounted