1
as in goose
a person who lacks good sense or judgment
only a turkey would think it's a good idea to go for a jog when the weather drops below zero
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in idiot
a stupid person
you turkey, that wasn't my boyfriend—it was my brother!
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in disaster
something that has failed
his business venture ended up being a turkey, and he lost quite a bit of money on it
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of turkey
Dessert options include banana pudding and cookies, and Prajapati said additional specials — including ribs and turkey breast sandwiches — are on the way.
—
Evan Moore, Charlotte Observer, 4 June 2026
Located along the American River, the nature center provides people of all ages a safe and immersive experience connecting with local wildlife from wild turkeys to woodpeckers to butterflies.
—Sacbee.com, 4 June 2026
Water receptacles across the facility were reported to be dirty, including a bowl shared by 15 goats, a turkey, seven chickens, a llama and a potbellied pig, which contained brownish-black sediment and thick green algae.
—Moná Thomas, PEOPLE, 4 June 2026
An extra 20 grams of white meat, such as chicken or turkey, was linked to a 12% higher risk of cancer in the main body of the stomach, the researchers noted.
—Khloe Quill, FOXNews.com, 3 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for turkey
Evan Moore, Charlotte Observer, 4 June 2026
Located along the American River, the nature center provides people of all ages a safe and immersive experience connecting with local wildlife from wild turkeys to woodpeckers to butterflies.
—Sacbee.com, 4 June 2026
Water receptacles across the facility were reported to be dirty, including a bowl shared by 15 goats, a turkey, seven chickens, a llama and a potbellied pig, which contained brownish-black sediment and thick green algae.
—Moná Thomas, PEOPLE, 4 June 2026
An extra 20 grams of white meat, such as chicken or turkey, was linked to a 12% higher risk of cancer in the main body of the stomach, the researchers noted.
—Khloe Quill, FOXNews.com, 3 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for turkey
Recent Examples of Synonyms for turkey
Noun
-
While there’s no denying that gooseneck loosestrife (Lysimachia clethroides) is a charming plant with sweet white flowers that resemble a goose's neck, it's also widely recognized as a troublesome invasive.—
Samantha Johnson,
Martha Stewart,
7 June 2026
-
This typically gets worse over time and is often accompanied by a harsh goose-honking cough triggered by excitement or exercise.—
The Washington Post,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
30 May 2026
Noun
-
Lluís then calls Puig Antich a moron.—
Colm Tóibín,
The Atlantic,
14 Mar. 2026
-
This drunk moron — quite different from his character in the novel — bears a ton of blame.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
13 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
When a catastrophic breach at Piney Point threatened Manatee County homes with a toxic flood and fueled an environmental disaster five years ago, state leaders promised to clean up the mess with up to $200 million.—
Ryan Ballogg,
Miami Herald,
12 June 2026
-
Not allowing insurance companies to shift profits to out-of-state subsidiaries would save me more money than this disaster.—
Letters to the Editor,
The Orlando Sentinel,
12 June 2026
Noun
-
Don’t let the simple style fool you, though, because the ultra-soft foam insoles provide solid arch support.—
Caitlyn Fitzpatrick,
PEOPLE,
9 June 2026
-
Brute-forcing the one-time code for a single account—meaning iterating through every possible combination until the right one is entered—would be little more than a fool’s errand, even within the three-hour window that the codes remained valid.—
Ashley Belanger,
ArsTechnica,
4 June 2026
Noun
-
My dad has always said the lottery is a tax on the stupid.—
Alex Crippen,
CNBC,
4 Apr. 2026
-
The scale of the headloss was best summed up by Luis Suarez attempting to reason with Messi, before the Argentine did anything on the Suarez scale of stupid.—
Phil Hay,
New York Times,
23 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Semiconductor maker Texas Instruments has introduced a new battery monitoring chip designed to give electric vehicles and energy storage systems earlier warning of battery failures while reducing the number of components required inside battery packs.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
9 June 2026
-
Nothing majorly dramatic happens, no one flames out in the kitchen, no dish is an absolute failure.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
9 June 2026
Noun
-
People have been hurt so badly by radical left lunatics that worked for the Biden administration and Sleepy Joe.—
NBC news,
NBC news,
7 June 2026
-
Mark Hamill has been a lunatic for years now.—
Zach Dean OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
8 May 2026
Noun
-
The vehicle was occupied by a front seat crash test dummy that was intended to represent an average-sized adult male and a back seat dummy that was intended to represent a small adult or a 12-year-old child.—
Keith Laing,
USA Today,
4 June 2026
-
Through the fuzz and the bad camera angles emerges an extraordinary catalogue of dummies, flicks, and feints, a hodge-podge of silly tricks.—
Jack Lang,
New York Times,
28 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Turkey.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/turkey. Accessed 13 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
