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
Synonyms
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
Estep said her mother loved cooking for her family, making turkey for Thanksgiving and known for her banana pudding.
—
Hannah Fingerhut, Los Angeles Times, 3 Oct. 2024
But hear us out: This French-Canadian rom-com is set partly in the food world, which would pair nicely with a vast amount of turkey and sides.
—Vogue, 3 Oct. 2024
His mother had bought a turkey dinner from a local caterer and put it on her own mother’s sleek porcelain platter.
—Lauren Groff, The Atlantic, 28 Sep. 2024
This list includes classic staples (think turkey sandwiches) as well as some outside-of-the-box ideas for adventurous eaters, like tortellini salad with mozzarella balls and turkey pepperoni.
—Katie Drakeford, Ma, Rd, Csp, Ld, Parents, 23 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for turkey 
Hannah Fingerhut, Los Angeles Times, 3 Oct. 2024
But hear us out: This French-Canadian rom-com is set partly in the food world, which would pair nicely with a vast amount of turkey and sides.
—Vogue, 3 Oct. 2024
His mother had bought a turkey dinner from a local caterer and put it on her own mother’s sleek porcelain platter.
—Lauren Groff, The Atlantic, 28 Sep. 2024
This list includes classic staples (think turkey sandwiches) as well as some outside-of-the-box ideas for adventurous eaters, like tortellini salad with mozzarella balls and turkey pepperoni.
—Katie Drakeford, Ma, Rd, Csp, Ld, Parents, 23 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for turkey
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'turkey.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near turkey
Cite this Entry
“Turkey.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/turkey. Accessed 8 Oct. 2024.
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.
see also turk sense 1
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