Turkmen

noun

Turk·​men ˈtərk-mən 

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

My uncle, a People’s Artist of the Turkmen Soviet Socialist Republic and soloist of the Ashgabat Opera, was forced to abandon all his possessions and flee with his family—just to survive. — Mikhail Zygar, Air Mail, 6 Dec. 2025

There are many ethnic groups, Arabs, Kurds, Turkmen, Shabaks, Christians, Sabians, Yazidis, Kaka’i. — Tom O'Connor, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Nov. 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

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

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1520, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for Turkmen

• again
• airmen
• amen
• bullpen
• culmen
• flagmen
• gunmen
• lawmen
• oilmen
• playpen
• schoolmen
• tegmen