plural Turkmen or Turkmens
1
a
: a member of a group of Islamized Turkic-speaking pastoral tribes who beginning in the eleventh century expanded from Central Asia into Persia, the Caucasus, Anatolia, and Mesopotamia
b
: a member of a people descended from elements of these tribes who now form a majority of the population in Turkmenistan and a minority in adjacent countries
2
: the Turkic language of the contemporary Turkmen people
Examples of Turkmen in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The brief separation from Ms. Turkmen left both bereft.
—
Tammy Lagorce, New York Times, 16 May 2025
Those killed included Nedim Turkmen, a columnist for Sozcu newspaper, his wife and two children, the newspaper announced.
—Suzan Fraser, Los Angeles Times, 21 Jan. 2025
In the past week or so, leaders of Syria’s ethnic and sectarian communities—the country is about 70 percent Sunni Arab, and the rest consists largely of Kurds, Turkmen, Druze, Christians, and Alawites—have met in various cities around the country and pledged to work together.
—Arash Azizi, The Atlantic, 9 Dec. 2024
Overlooking the funky Turkmen State Circus arena, the Ak Altyn Hotel flaunts colorful Soviet-era murals, a swimming pool and Turkman carpet store.
—Joe Yogerst, Forbes, 27 Nov. 2024
Turkish authorities also cracked down on the small Turkmen diaspora in the country, arresting activists opposed to the strongman regime in Ashgabat and working to prevent protests in front of Turkmenistan’s embassy.
—Yana Gorokhovskaia, Foreign Affairs, 2 June 2022
There are over 14 ethnicities in Afghanistan, including Pashtun, Hazara, Uzbek, Turkmen, and Tajik, and each has its own form of ethnic dress, which vary in beading and embroidery styles.
—Liana Satenstein, Vogue, 4 May 2022
Her offering includes everything from silver talismans engraved with the elaborate designs of Berber, Tuareg and Turkmen peoples to a ruby and table-cut diamond ring set in typically Indian high-karat gold.
—Kareem Rashed, Robb Report, 22 Apr. 2022
Al-Qurayshi is from the part of Iraq where ethnic Turkmen, rather than Arabs, predominate.
—NBC News, 4 Feb. 2022
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Tammy Lagorce, New York Times, 16 May 2025
Those killed included Nedim Turkmen, a columnist for Sozcu newspaper, his wife and two children, the newspaper announced.
—Suzan Fraser, Los Angeles Times, 21 Jan. 2025
In the past week or so, leaders of Syria’s ethnic and sectarian communities—the country is about 70 percent Sunni Arab, and the rest consists largely of Kurds, Turkmen, Druze, Christians, and Alawites—have met in various cities around the country and pledged to work together.
—Arash Azizi, The Atlantic, 9 Dec. 2024
Overlooking the funky Turkmen State Circus arena, the Ak Altyn Hotel flaunts colorful Soviet-era murals, a swimming pool and Turkman carpet store.
—Joe Yogerst, Forbes, 27 Nov. 2024
Turkish authorities also cracked down on the small Turkmen diaspora in the country, arresting activists opposed to the strongman regime in Ashgabat and working to prevent protests in front of Turkmenistan’s embassy.
—Yana Gorokhovskaia, Foreign Affairs, 2 June 2022
There are over 14 ethnicities in Afghanistan, including Pashtun, Hazara, Uzbek, Turkmen, and Tajik, and each has its own form of ethnic dress, which vary in beading and embroidery styles.
—Liana Satenstein, Vogue, 4 May 2022
Her offering includes everything from silver talismans engraved with the elaborate designs of Berber, Tuareg and Turkmen peoples to a ruby and table-cut diamond ring set in typically Indian high-karat gold.
—Kareem Rashed, Robb Report, 22 Apr. 2022
Al-Qurayshi is from the part of Iraq where ethnic Turkmen, rather than Arabs, predominate.
—NBC News, 4 Feb. 2022
Cite this Entry
“Turkmen.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Turkmen. Accessed 30 Jul. 2025.
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