turn·out
ˈtərn-ˌau̇t 
1
: the number of people who participate in or attend an event
a heavy voter turnout
2
a
: a place where something (such as a road) turns out or branches off
b
: a space adjacent to a highway in which vehicles may park or pull into to enable others to pass
c
: a railroad siding
3
: an act of turning out
4
5
: a clearing out and cleaning
6
7
: net quantity of produce yielded
turned out; turning out; turns out
1
a
: to come or go out from home in or as if in answer to a summons
voters turned out in droves
b
: to get out of bed
2
a
: to prove to be in the result or end
the play turned out to be a flop
it turned out that we were both wrong
b
: to become in maturity
nobody thought he'd turn out like this
c
: end
stories that turn out happily
1
: to put out by or as if by turning a switch
turn out the lights
2
: to produce often rapidly or regularly by or as if by machine
a writer turning out stories
3
a
: to turn inside out
turning out his pockets
b
: to empty the contents of especially for cleaning or rearranging
also
: clean
5
: to equip, dress, or finish in a careful or elaborate way
6
: to call (a guard, a company, etc.) out from rest or shelter and into formation
Examples of turnout in a Sentence
Noun
The opening game of the season brought only a small turnout.
a 50 percent voter turnout
Verb
we turn out early on workdays
it's our practice to turn out the room after guests stay over
Recent Examples on the Web
Erica Werner, Washington Post, 13 Sep. 2023
The organization reported that, anecdotally, over its opening weekend in late August, some venues saw two to three times the turnout expected.
—Briana Miller | , oregonlive, 11 Sep. 2023
Primary turnout Historically, primary turnout in Puerto Rico is very low.
—Cristina Corujo, CBS News, 1 Sep. 2023
The turnout in presidential nominating primaries and caucuses, 2020.
—Andy Larsen, The Salt Lake Tribune, 26 Aug. 2023
And sometimes—sometimes—small projects turnout to be landmarks, the high points in a career.
—Town & Country, 25 Aug. 2023
But in 2016, the last time the island held a Republican primary, voter turnout dropped off substantially, with under 40,000 voters participating when Rubio prevailed.
—Cristina Corujo, CBS News, 1 Sep. 2023
The special election drew unexpectedly high turnout.
—Grace Segers, The New Republic, 30 Aug. 2023
While Crenshaw and others want Republicans to push issues related to the economy and border security, the presidential election, which drives voter turnout, will likely be a referendum on Trump.
—Gromer Jeffers Jr., Dallas News, 28 Aug. 2023
Emily Kirkpatrick, Peoplemag, 22 Sep. 2023
But that extra fabric turns out to be useful for providing warmth to curl up in on the plane, according to reviewers.
—Kelsey Glennon, Travel + Leisure, 22 Sep. 2023
These turned out to be crude forgeries, but even as their authenticity was being questioned, Murdoch purchased the U.S., British and Australian publication rights from their owner, the German magazine Stern, for $1.2 million.
—Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 21 Sep. 2023
And the cousin of one of her chaperones on this trip turned out to be Frank Gilbreth.
—Johanna Mayer, Scientific American, 21 Sep. 2023
Tommy Stinson turned out to be the true lifer, doing time in Guns N’ Roses and animating his own version of the Replacements’ underdog ethos as front man of the roots-rock band Bash & Pop.
—Elizabeth Nelson, The New Yorker, 21 Sep. 2023
The joint Biden-Lula initiative around labor may turn out to be rather vague, a convening of a focus group committed to thinking what the future of the working class may look like in an age of automation, digitalization and increasing precarity.
—Ishaan Tharoor, Washington Post, 20 Sep. 2023
These turn out to be the pickled skirt trimmed from a scallop — shellfish offal.
—Pete Wells, New York Times, 19 Sep. 2023
The American visitor to Rome arrives with certain preconceptions that feel like stereotypes but turn out to be basically accurate.
—Dan Brooks, New York Times, 12 Sep. 2023
See More
Noun
The huge turnout Wednesday, with thousands of people filling up at least two blocks outside the Paramount Pictures lot, was intended to be a demonstration of resolve at a moment when union members fear that studios are trying to divide them.
—Erica Werner, Washington Post, 13 Sep. 2023
The organization reported that, anecdotally, over its opening weekend in late August, some venues saw two to three times the turnout expected.
—Briana Miller | , oregonlive, 11 Sep. 2023
Primary turnout Historically, primary turnout in Puerto Rico is very low.
—Cristina Corujo, CBS News, 1 Sep. 2023
The turnout in presidential nominating primaries and caucuses, 2020.
—Andy Larsen, The Salt Lake Tribune, 26 Aug. 2023
And sometimes—sometimes—small projects turnout to be landmarks, the high points in a career.
—Town & Country, 25 Aug. 2023
But in 2016, the last time the island held a Republican primary, voter turnout dropped off substantially, with under 40,000 voters participating when Rubio prevailed.
—Cristina Corujo, CBS News, 1 Sep. 2023
The special election drew unexpectedly high turnout.
—Grace Segers, The New Republic, 30 Aug. 2023
While Crenshaw and others want Republicans to push issues related to the economy and border security, the presidential election, which drives voter turnout, will likely be a referendum on Trump.
—Gromer Jeffers Jr., Dallas News, 28 Aug. 2023
Verb
However, the trip turned out to be more of a nightmare than a fantasy for the young model.
—Emily Kirkpatrick, Peoplemag, 22 Sep. 2023
But that extra fabric turns out to be useful for providing warmth to curl up in on the plane, according to reviewers.
—Kelsey Glennon, Travel + Leisure, 22 Sep. 2023
These turned out to be crude forgeries, but even as their authenticity was being questioned, Murdoch purchased the U.S., British and Australian publication rights from their owner, the German magazine Stern, for $1.2 million.
—Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 21 Sep. 2023
And the cousin of one of her chaperones on this trip turned out to be Frank Gilbreth.
—Johanna Mayer, Scientific American, 21 Sep. 2023
Tommy Stinson turned out to be the true lifer, doing time in Guns N’ Roses and animating his own version of the Replacements’ underdog ethos as front man of the roots-rock band Bash & Pop.
—Elizabeth Nelson, The New Yorker, 21 Sep. 2023
The joint Biden-Lula initiative around labor may turn out to be rather vague, a convening of a focus group committed to thinking what the future of the working class may look like in an age of automation, digitalization and increasing precarity.
—Ishaan Tharoor, Washington Post, 20 Sep. 2023
These turn out to be the pickled skirt trimmed from a scallop — shellfish offal.
—Pete Wells, New York Times, 19 Sep. 2023
The American visitor to Rome arrives with certain preconceptions that feel like stereotypes but turn out to be basically accurate.
—Dan Brooks, New York Times, 12 Sep. 2023
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'turnout.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
Noun
1688, in the meaning defined at sense 3
Verb
1546, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 4a
Dictionary Entries Near turnout
Cite this Entry
“Turnout.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/turnout. Accessed 25 Sep. 2023.
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Kids Definition
turnout
1 of 2 noun
turn·out
ˈtər-ˌnau̇t
: the number of people who attend or who do something (as vote)
a good turnout at the meeting
expected a light voter turnout
turn out
2 of 2 verbˌtər-ˈnau̇t,
ˈtər-
1
: to put or empty out of a container
2
: to make by or as if by machine
the factory turns out automobiles
turns out a new story every month
3
: turn off sense 2
who turned out the light?
4
: to come or go out from home
thousands turned out to see them
5
: to prove to be
it turned out to be only the cat
of course, I turned out to be right
More from Merriam-Webster on turnout
Nglish: Translation of turnout for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of turnout for Arabic Speakers
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