turret

noun

tur·​ret ˈtər-ət 

ˈtə-rət,

ˈtu̇r-ət 

1

: a little tower

specifically : an ornamental structure at an angle of a larger structure

2

a(1)

: a revolving armored structure on a warship that protects one or more guns mounted within it

(2)

: a similar upper structure usually for one gun on a tank

(3)

: a gunner's fixed or movable enclosure in an airplane

b

: a tall building usually moved on wheels and formerly used for carrying soldiers and equipment for breaching or scaling a wall

3

a

: a pivoted and revolvable holder in a machine tool

b

: a device (as on a microscope or a television camera) holding several lenses

Examples of turret in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

It could be seen from as far as 5 kilometers away and was created in eye-watering detail, right down to the location of the towers and turrets. —Caroline Reid, Forbes.com, 18 May 2025

Our box had the infrared turret to illustrate the principle of infrared communication. —Adrienne So, Wired News, 17 May 2025

These require your dragon to hover frustratingly still in mid-air, waiting patiently for an incoming energy attack to dodge, which in turn somehow powers up your gun enough to take out the turret in a counterattack. —ArsTechnica, 9 May 2025

Each battleship has a handful of turrets and shield generators that look like the Eye of Sauron that must be disposed of before the Doom Slayer can commandeer the ship and take it down from the inside. —Kazuma Hashimoto, Rolling Stone, 31 Mar. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English touret, from Anglo-French turette, tourette, diminutive of tur, tour tower — more at tower

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for turret

• urate

Kids Definition

turret

noun

tur·​ret ˈtər-ət  ˈtə-rət 

tu̇r-ət

1

: a little tower often at a corner of a building

2

: a low usually rotating structure (as in a tank, warship, or airplane) in which guns are mounted