Illustration of turkey
- turkey 1
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
3
: three successive strikes in bowling
4
: a stupid, foolish, or inept person
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
On a candy-bright ceramic plate, as one standout example, a staffer will deliver a prehistoric-looking turkey leg draped in mole.
—
Los Angeles Times, 9 Apr. 2026
By contrast, foods composed mostly of fat (olive oil, butter, avocado) or protein (egg whites, turkey breast, hamburger without the bun) are much harder to binge.
—David S. Ludwig, STAT, 9 Apr. 2026
Nicola said three of the four turkeys were rescue animals with deformed feet that had been sitting on eggs when they were taken.
—Samantha Agate, Kansas City Star, 9 Apr. 2026
Other species, including wild turkeys and coyotes, may also frequent bird feeders — which can lead to more human-wildlife conflict.
—Rick Sobey, Boston Herald, 9 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for turkey
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Los Angeles Times, 9 Apr. 2026
By contrast, foods composed mostly of fat (olive oil, butter, avocado) or protein (egg whites, turkey breast, hamburger without the bun) are much harder to binge.
—David S. Ludwig, STAT, 9 Apr. 2026
Nicola said three of the four turkeys were rescue animals with deformed feet that had been sitting on eggs when they were taken.
—Samantha Agate, Kansas City Star, 9 Apr. 2026
Other species, including wild turkeys and coyotes, may also frequent bird feeders — which can lead to more human-wildlife conflict.
—Rick Sobey, Boston Herald, 9 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for turkey
Cite this Entry
“Turkey.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/turkey. Accessed 15 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationKids 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
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.
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