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⇱ turkey - WordReference.com Dictionary of English

turkey

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UK:**UK and possibly other pronunciationsUK and possibly other pronunciations'turkey', 'Turkey': /ˈtɜːki/

US:USA pronunciation: IPAUSA pronunciation: IPA/ˈtɝki/

US:USA pronunciation: respellingUSA pronunciation: respelling'turkey', 'Turkey': (tûr′kē)


Inflections of 'turkey' (n):
turkeys
npl
turkey
npl (Can be used as a collective plural)

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
tur•key /ˈtɜrki/USA pronunciation   n., pl. -keys, (esp. when thought of as a group) -key. 
  1. Birds[countable] a large North American bird of the pheasant family.
  2. the flesh of this bird, used as food:[uncountable]a dinner of turkey on Thanksgiving Day.
  3. Slang Terms[countable]
    • a person or thing of little appeal or value:This car is a turkey; it's constantly breaking down.
    • a naive, stupid, or inept person:You went out with that turkey?!
    • Show Businessa poor or unsuccessful play or movie;
      a flop.
Idioms
  1. Idioms talk turkey, [Informal.]to talk frankly and directly:began to talk turkey about important issues.


WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026
tur•key  (tûr′kē),USA pronunciation n., pl. -keys, (esp. collectively) -key. 
  1. Birdsa large, gallinaceous bird of the family Meleagrididae, esp. Meleagris gallopavo, of America, that typically has green, reddish-brown, and yellowish-brown plumage of a metallic luster and that is domesticated in most parts of the world. See illus. in next column.
  2. the flesh of this bird, used as food.
  3. BirdsSee ocellated turkey. 
  4. Slang Terms
    • a person or thing of little appeal;
      dud;
      loser.
    • a naive, stupid, or inept person.
    • a poor and unsuccessful theatrical production;
      flop.
  5. Sport[Bowling.]three strikes in succession.
  6. talk turkey, [Informal.]to talk frankly;
    mean business.
  • short for Turkey cock and Turkey hen cock and hen of Turkey, first applied to guinea fowl, later confused with the American bird 1545–55

Tur•key  (tûr′kē),USA pronunciation n. 
  1. Place Namesa republic in W Asia and SE Europe. 63,528,225;
    296,184 sq. mi. (767,120 sq. km). (286,928 sq. mi. (743,145 sq. km) in Asia;
    9257 sq. mi. (23,975 sq. km) in Europe). Cap.: Ankara. Cf. Ottoman Empire. 

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
turkey /ˈtɜːkɪ/ n ( pl -keys, -key)
  1. a large gallinaceous bird, Meleagris gallopavo, of North America, having a bare wattled head and neck and a brownish iridescent plumage. The male is brighter and has a fan-shaped tail. A domestic variety is widely bred for its flesh
  2. slang chiefly US Canadian a dramatic production that fails; flop
  3. talk turkey ⇒ informal chiefly US Canadian to discuss frankly and practically
Etymology: 16th Century: shortened from Turkey cock (hen), used at first to designate the African guinea fowl (apparently because the bird was brought through Turkish territory), later applied by mistake to the American bird
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
Turkey /ˈtɜːkɪ/ n
  1. a republic in W Asia and SE Europe, between the Black Sea, the Mediterranean, and the Aegean: the centre of the Ottoman Empire; became a republic in 1923. The major Asian part, consisting mainly of an arid plateau, is separated from European Turkey by the Bosporus, Sea of Marmara, and Dardanelles. Languages: Turkish (official), Kurdish, and Arabic minority languages. Religion: Muslim majority. Currency: lira. Capital: Ankara. Pop: 80 745 020 (2017 est). Area: 780 576 sq km (301 380 sq miles)Official name: Republic of Türkiye
'turkey' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
Collocations: a [roast, grilled, stuffed, Thanksgiving, Christmas] turkey, a turkey [sandwich, dinner, breast], [rear, keep, hunt] turkeys, more...

🗣️Forum discussions with the word(s) "turkey" in the title:

[Take a test <cold> or <cold turkey>] or both?
1/4 turkey
a fall feast of turkey
a magician in Turkey
a question about Small>ISIS, Russia, and Turkey
a turkey vulture
A turkey walks in
After years of thinking about it, he quit cold turkey.
And Turkey's political bruiser is not going anywhere.
architect of modern Turkey
Army turkey
As red as turkey-cock
blame the turkey.
builds its foreign policy preferences over opposition to Turkey
by (the) way of Turkey
carve or cut a chicken/turkey?
Chicken, duck, and turkey lay eggs.
Cold turkey
comma before 'despite' [preposition]: exclude Turkey, despite
continuity within Turkey
defining aspect [of Turkey's foreign relations]
done tom turkey
English Brexit Turkey
for Turkey's bravado, is if Russia [comma?]
Found herself living in Turkey vs. Ended up living in Turkey
Frozen turkey bowling
frozen turkey dinners and Tab
God/god, Turkey/turkey [capitalization]
Happy Turkey Day
How does Darth Vader enjoy his Christmas turkey? - On the dark side.
more...

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