turkeys

noun

plural of turkey
1
as in geese
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

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2
as in idiots
a stupid person you turkey, that wasn't my boyfriend—it was my brother!

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in disasters
something that has failed his business venture ended up being a turkey, and he lost quite a bit of money on it

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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 turkeys Multiple wild turkeys have had their time in the limelight, including one named Astoria that still lives in the Battery. — Kathryn Vanarendonk, Vulture, 14 Oct. 2026 Mule deer, wild turkeys and other animals are regular sightings. — Abigail Bliss, Denver Post, 1 Oct. 2026 The photos show the president at rallies, pardoning turkeys, at the White House with Christmas decorations, standing with the FIFA trophy, surrounded by flags, flanked by military leaders, outside the Taj Mahal and more. — Aaron Navarro, CBS News, 29 Sep. 2026 Our never-fail turkey is excellent in every way that other turkeys often fall short. — Zoe Denenberg, Bon Appetit Magazine, 22 Sep. 2026 Both deer and turkeys can be hunted on Sundays on private land only. — Stephen Underwood, Hartford Courant, 15 Sep. 2026 Hanson says that realization led to his support of after-school programs and a decades-long tradition of buying and distributing Thanksgiving turkeys at the Hollenbeck Youth Center in Boyle Heights. — Seth Abramovitch, HollywoodReporter, 9 Sep. 2026 Some of that was due to the outbreak of Avian metapneumovirus in turkeys and chickens and bird flu, according to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). — Laura Sharman, CNN Money, 9 Sep. 2026 She’s loved by her family of humans (the Osteens) and other farm animals (including Elsie the cow; goats Honey, Dolly, Roger, Polly and Dodger; and Tom, the king of the turkeys who stalks around his enclosure like a pharaoh). — Emily L. Mahoney, Miami Herald, 4 Sep. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for turkeys
  1. geese
  2. idiots
  3. disasters
  4. lunatics
  5. morons
  6. failures
  7. nuts
  8. bombs
Noun
  • Drawing from the Renaissance game’s design and motif, there are playful talismans — geese, dragonflies, clovers, horseshoes, dice, keys and ladybugs — across trays, teapots, mugs, boxes, miniatures and espresso sets.
    — Sofia Celeste, Footwear News, 7 Oct. 2026
  • Birds, including Canadian geese, several types of hawks, mynas and larks were also killed in the thousands.
    — Sharon Bernstein, Sacbee.com, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of geese
Noun
  • Eleven gullible idiots were talked into acquitting because of an imaginary female ailment.
    — Voice of the People, New York Daily News, 20 Sep. 2026
  • And then there’s the culture of the scientists, and these idiots can’t read Dickens.
    — David Brooks, The Atlantic, 20 Sep. 2026
Definition of idiots
Noun
  • Its chief instructor, Wang Kuanghan, has said plans are underway to open five more centers in China within three years, expanding the simulations to other disasters, including fires and earthquakes.
    — Lauryn Higgins, Time, 15 Oct. 2026
  • The administration initially talked about abolishing the agency, arguing that states and communities could deal with disasters on their own.
    — Dana R. Fisher, The Conversation, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of disasters
Noun
  • The show will serve as a platform for countless lunatics within the InfoWars universe and a platform for larger announcements about the company’s fictional exploits.
    — Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 8 Oct. 2026
  • Republicans see an opportunity here, portraying progressive and socialist Democrats as lunatics and communists.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 9 Aug. 2026
Definition of lunatics
Noun
  • There are complicated brain-chemistry factors involved that have to do with testosterone, and dopaminergic systems, and kappa-opioid receptors, all of which seem to add up to a Jim Gaffigan joke about how men are morons compared with their wives.
    — McKay Coppins, The Atlantic, 12 Mar. 2026
  • The Dilbert principle — traced back to a quote in a 1995 strip — posited that managers and higher-ups are actually successful morons whose stubbornness is confused for real leadership qualities.
    — Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 13 Jan. 2026
Definition of morons
Noun
  • The installation at the military’s oldest active test base would help shield critical defense operations from wider grid failures.
    — Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 10 Oct. 2026
  • The familiar scent of grilling merguez wafted through the air as Violette began to enumerate the system’s failures.
    — Lauren Collins, New Yorker, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of failures
Noun
  • Tucker recommends foods like extra virgin olive oil, fatty fish like salmon, nuts and seeds — all staples of both diets, which also encourage eating whole grains, chicken, and plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables.
    — Maggie Ryan, Flow Space, 14 Oct. 2026
  • If your kidneys are healthy, eating magnesium-rich foods like nuts, seeds, beans, whole grains, and leafy vegetables is unlikely to cause toxicity.
    — MD Published, Verywell Health, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of nuts
Noun
  • The suspect is said to have organized and carried out the detonation of at least four bombs between around 31 to 62 pounds at a depth of 230 feet to 263 feet near the Danish island of Bornholm.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 15 Oct. 2026
  • Zelensky does not appear to be in a rush to hold elections and the public has shown little enthusiasm for heading to the polls as bombs fly overhead.
    — Timothy Nerozzi, The Washington Examiner, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of bombs

Browse Nearby Words

turkey
turkeys
turmoil
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Cite this Entry

“Turkeys.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/turkeys. Accessed 18 Oct. 2026.

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