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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in idiots
a stupid person
you turkey, that wasn't my boyfriend—it was my brother!
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
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 turkeys
As of Sunday, 278 cats, 30 dogs and dozens of other animals including geese, chickens, turkeys, goats and pigs had been transported to San Diego Humane Society or county Animal Services facilities.
—
Karen Kucher, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 May 2026
Backyard poultry include birds such as chicken, ducks, geese, guinea fowl and turkeys.
—Jonel Aleccia, Los Angeles Times, 30 Apr. 2026
Between 1975 and 1992, 356 wild turkeys were released at 18 sites throughout the state, according to DEEP.
—Stephen Underwood, Hartford Courant, 29 Apr. 2026
Wild turkeys are more aggressive during spring mating season, which runs through May.
—The Sacramento Bee Staff, Sacbee.com, 28 Apr. 2026
There was a three-legged albino deer snacking on our neighborhood trees at one stretch, and a family of plump, fearless wild turkeys would often appear in our yard.
—Alexandra Sanidad, Condé Nast Traveler, 28 Apr. 2026
Backyard poultry include birds like chicken, ducks, geese, guinea fowl and turkeys.
—Jonel Aleccia, Chicago Tribune, 27 Apr. 2026
Owls would hoot and turkeys would scurry.
—Tim Craig, Washington Post, 26 Apr. 2026
That tree is still in place, but there were then no wild turkeys in New England.
—Literary Hub, 23 Apr. 2026
Karen Kucher, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 May 2026
Backyard poultry include birds such as chicken, ducks, geese, guinea fowl and turkeys.
—Jonel Aleccia, Los Angeles Times, 30 Apr. 2026
Between 1975 and 1992, 356 wild turkeys were released at 18 sites throughout the state, according to DEEP.
—Stephen Underwood, Hartford Courant, 29 Apr. 2026
Wild turkeys are more aggressive during spring mating season, which runs through May.
—The Sacramento Bee Staff, Sacbee.com, 28 Apr. 2026
There was a three-legged albino deer snacking on our neighborhood trees at one stretch, and a family of plump, fearless wild turkeys would often appear in our yard.
—Alexandra Sanidad, Condé Nast Traveler, 28 Apr. 2026
Backyard poultry include birds like chicken, ducks, geese, guinea fowl and turkeys.
—Jonel Aleccia, Chicago Tribune, 27 Apr. 2026
Owls would hoot and turkeys would scurry.
—Tim Craig, Washington Post, 26 Apr. 2026
That tree is still in place, but there were then no wild turkeys in New England.
—Literary Hub, 23 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for turkeys
Noun
-
Or Canadian geese, which trundle about retention ponds across the Lake County landscape.—
Charles Selle,
Chicago Tribune,
4 May 2026
-
As of Sunday, 278 cats, 30 dogs and dozens of other animals including geese, chickens, turkeys, goats and pigs had been transported to San Diego Humane Society or county Animal Services facilities.—
Karen Kucher,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
3 May 2026
Noun
-
All of those are better options than a public rest stop where a bunch of other idiots are just trying to stretch their legs and empty their bladders.—
Matt Reigle OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
29 Apr. 2026
-
Freedom from screech No one wants to sit near idiots who just want to scream about their love of their team and provoke fans into fights, like the one Monday between Yankees and Rangers fans at Globe Life Field.—
Paul Sullivan,
Chicago Tribune,
29 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Through skill, sacrifice and professionalism, our first responders have narrowly avoided major disasters, including the recent high-rise fire in Towson that could have ended far worse without rapid response and coordination on scene.—
Nick Stewart,
Baltimore Sun,
9 May 2026
-
That could leave states on the hook for millions of dollars to rebuild roads, schools and other infrastructure after tornadoes, floods and other disasters that do not cause enough widespread damage to meet the new criteria for federal assistance.—
Lauren Sommer,
NPR,
7 May 2026
Noun
-
To get a sentence like that in a communist, radically left-wing city of liberal lunatics is truly amazing.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
29 Apr. 2026
-
Secretary of State Marco Rubio wasn’t far behind, saying the war is being waged against religious lunatics.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
25 Mar. 2026
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
Noun
-
The massive rocket has encountered a number of anomalies and failures since its debut in April 2023 ended in a premature explosion, including fiery mishaps both on the test stand and mid-flight that have attracted plenty of headlines.—
Eric Lagatta,
USA Today,
13 May 2026
-
However, residents are still under a boil water order while crews continue testing and monitoring for additional failures.—
Spencer Wilson,
CBS News,
13 May 2026
Noun
-
But for people who consume fewer calories, like Matthews’s mother, those calories and the protein in them are better off coming from whole foods—such as chicken, beans, nuts and vegetables.—
Bethany Brookshire,
Scientific American,
11 May 2026
-
Pistachio nuts are also a favorite go-to snack.—
Stephanie Nolasco,
FOXNews.com,
10 May 2026
Noun
-
Remember when dummies like me were saying he was overpaid because of the Columbus Tax or whatever?—
Sean McIndoe,
New York Times,
27 Apr. 2026
-
More than a dozen city, county and state agencies worked together, deploying drones, using dummies as cadavers, and taking on the roles of victims, triage and others to make the drill as realistic as possible.—
Mark Prussin,
CBS News,
18 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Turkeys.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/turkeys. Accessed 16 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
