turkey

noun

tur·​key ˈtər-kē 

plural turkeys

1

plural also turkey : a large North American gallinaceous bird (Meleagris gallopavo) that is domesticated in most parts of the world

also : its flesh used as food

2

: failure, flop

especially : a theatrical production that has failed

3

: three successive strikes in bowling

4

: a stupid, foolish, or inept person

Illustration of turkey

• turkey 1

Synonyms of turkey

• goose
• fool
• lunatic
• maniac
• nut

Examples of turkey in a Sentence

He was acting like a complete turkey.

only a turkey would think it's a good idea to go for a jog when the weather drops below zero

Recent Examples on the Web

Sliced fontina cheese and turkey measured outside of the safe temperature range. —Sacbee.com, 7 Nov. 2025

No one likes a lumpy, flat pillow after eating all that turkey. —Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 7 Nov. 2025

The holidays are right around the corner and stores are starting to lay out a host of sales for dinner time staples like turkey, vegetables and other sweet treats. —Craig Shoup, Nashville Tennessean, 7 Nov. 2025

Thanksgiving is just a few weeks away, which means turkey, gravy, cranberry sauce, and pumpkin pie galore. —Gabe Hauari, USA Today, 6 Nov. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Turkey, country in western Asia and southeastern Europe; from confusion with the guinea fowl, supposed to be imported from Turkish territory

First Known Use

1555, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing turkey

• cold turkey
• talk turkey
• turkey-cock
• turkey oak
• turkey shoot
• turkey trot
• turkey vulture
• water turkey

Rhymes for turkey

• jerky
• murky
• perky
• quirky
• turki

Kids Definition

turkey

noun

tur·​key ˈtər-kē 

plural turkeys

1

plural also turkey : a large North American bird that is related to the domestic chicken and is domesticated in most parts of the world

2

: something that is a failure

the new play was a turkey

3

: a stupid or foolish person

Etymology

from turkey-cock, an old word for "guinea fowl," from Turkey, a country in Asia Minor; so called because at one time people thought guinea fowl came from Turkey

Word Origin

The bird we now call the guinea fowl was once called the turkey. Turkey was the shortened version of turkey-cock and turkey-hen. The guinea fowl's original home was in Africa. However, Europeans discovered that it was good to eat and did well in captivity, so they brought it back to Europe. Some people mistakenly thought that the birds came from Turkey, and the name stuck. Later, when English settlers first arrived in America, they found a large bird living here that was also good to eat. They called this new bird turkey because it reminded them of the turkey they were familiar with back in Europe.

Geographical Definition

Turkey

geographical name

Tur·​key ˈtər-kē 

variants or now officially Türkiye

ˌtᵫr-kē-ˈye 

country in western Asia and southeastern Europe between the Mediterranean and Black seas; capital Ankara area 302,535 square miles (783,562 square kilometers), population 81,257,000 see ottoman empire

Note: Turkey was formerly the center of an empire whose capital was Constantinople. Since 1923 it has been a republic.

see also turk sense 1