noun
turkey
TUR-kee
noun
1
A large North American bird with a fan-shaped tail, farmed for its meat.
"They roasted a turkey for Thanksgiving dinner."
2
The meat of this bird eaten as food.
"He made a sandwich with leftover turkey and cranberry sauce."
3
Informally, a failure or an inept person.
"The movie was such a turkey that it flopped in its opening weekend."
4
In bowling, three strikes thrown in a row.
"She scored a turkey in the final frame to win the match."
How to Use Turkey
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishThe big bird served at Thanksgiving, but also slang for something that flops badly, or a run of three strikes in bowling.
Common mistake
"Cold turkey" (quitting something abruptly) and "talk turkey" (speak frankly) are idioms unrelated to the literal bird.
Common pairings
roast turkey
cold turkey
talk turkey
Word Forms
turkeys plural, turkies plural
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They roasted a _____ for Thanksgiving dinner.
Etymology
Originally applied to the guinea fowl, an African bird imported to Europe through Turkey; the name later transferred to the unrelated North American bird now called turkey.