turf toe

noun

: a minor but painful usually sports-related injury typically involving hyperextension of the big toe that results in spraining or tearing of the ligaments at the joint between the metatarsal and basal phalanx

Examples of turf toe in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The most notable injury ailing the 49ers is star quarterback Brock Purdy, who seemingly suffered a bit of a setback to his turf toe injury that forced him to miss the team's Week 2 and Week 3 games. —Reice Shipley, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Sep. 2025

But the winning record could obviously be a mirage given Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow’s turf toe injury that is expected to keep him out for an indefinite number of months. —Richard Deitsch, New York Times, 29 Sep. 2025

Purdy, clearly hobbled by the sorta-kinda-turf toe that sidelined him for two games, was sailing passes all afternoon. —Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 29 Sep. 2025

Notably, Cincinnati Bengals star Joe Burrow suffered a significant turf toe injury. —Jacob Camenker, USA Today, 21 Sep. 2025

Word History

Etymology

from the occurrence of the injury among athletes who play on artificial turf

First Known Use

1981, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for turf toe

• beau
• beaux
• blow
• boe
• bro
• coe
• crow
• doe
• doh
• dough
• eau
• eaux

Medical Definition

turf toe

noun

ˈtərf- 

: a minor but painful usually sports-related injury involving hyperextension of the big toe that results in spraining or tearing of the ligament of the metatarsophalangeal joint