turquoise

noun tur·quoise \ ˈtər-ˌkȯiz , -ˌkwȯiz \

variants: or less commonly turquois

Updated on: 11 Apr 2018

Definition of turquoise

1 : a mineral that is a blue, bluish-green, or greenish-gray hydrous basic phosphate of copper and aluminum, takes a high polish, and is valued as a gem when skyblue

2 : a light greenish blue

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Recent Examples of turquoise from the Web

Becky Fang offloaded 100 turquoise Mini Cooper cars in just five.

— The Economist, "Online starlets are refashioning Chinese e-commerce," 15 Mar. 2018
In addition to mauveine, Vox reported that Perkin also invented other shades of dye including Perkin’s green (a turquoise shade), Britannia violet (another shade of purple), and alizarin crimson.

— katherine eisenbrand, PEOPLE.com, "Who Was Google Doodle Subject William Henry Perkin? All About His Colorful Discovery," 12 Mar. 2018
Emphatically, right in front of us, the little island was divided into an upper and lower half, sandwiching a thin brilliant turquoise layer.

— Longreads, "The Quest for the Collision Zone: An Arctic Expedition," 12 Mar. 2018
Walking down the hallway to her master bedroom, Vergie grins at the wall colors: Bright, sherbet orange, turquoise, lemon yellow and a peppy pink.

— chelsea brasted, NOLA.com, "'My spirit is intact': 1 year after the New Orleans East tornado, 1 couple goes home," 7 Feb. 2018
As the airplane began its descent, the city looked unchanged, its odd mix of high rises and strip malls still surrounded by emerald-green vegetation and turquoise waters.

— New York Times, "What It’s Like to Visit San Juan Now," 30 Jan. 2018
As Brynn went to round up Wyatt, her 17-month-old, Rowyn, ran out to say hello in her turquoise and white polka-dot jammies.

— liz brody, Glamour, "'I Accidentally Killed My Best Friend's Daughter'—How Two Women Recovered From the Worst Pain Imaginable," 21 Mar. 2018
Another photo highlights the turquoise swirls the Frappuccino is rumored to feature.

— molly horan, Teen Vogue, "Starbucks Will Debut Its Prettiest Drink Yet, the Crystal Ball Frappuccino," 19 Mar. 2018
This no-soak treatment is also good for turquoise, another porous stone.

— lauren smith, Good Housekeeping, "How to Clean Every Type of Jewelry," 9 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'turquoise.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.