1
as in goose
a person who lacks good sense or judgment
only a turkey would think it's a good idea to go for a jog when the weather drops below zero
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in idiot
a stupid person
you turkey, that wasn't my boyfriend—it was my brother!
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in disaster
something that has failed
his business venture ended up being a turkey, and he lost quite a bit of money on it
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of turkey
Chicken, turkey and eggs are all OK to eat.
—
Matthew Perrone, Fortune, 13 June 2026
On June 14, the South Lawn of the White House will host not an easter egg roll or a turkey pardon, but rather a series of fights in a caged 92-foot tall Octagon, constructed and hosted by Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).
—Rebecca Schneid, Time, 12 June 2026
My latest obsession is slicing off generous slabs for a classic turkey club.
—Tara Massouleh McCay, Southern Living, 11 June 2026
Over the next several decades, a roll call of Pennsylvania’s native animals would be extirpated, including mountain lions, wolves, wolverines, badgers, pine marten, and fisher cats; whitetail deer were nearly wiped out of the state, as were black bears and turkeys.
—Literary Hub, 10 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for turkey
Matthew Perrone, Fortune, 13 June 2026
On June 14, the South Lawn of the White House will host not an easter egg roll or a turkey pardon, but rather a series of fights in a caged 92-foot tall Octagon, constructed and hosted by Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).
—Rebecca Schneid, Time, 12 June 2026
My latest obsession is slicing off generous slabs for a classic turkey club.
—Tara Massouleh McCay, Southern Living, 11 June 2026
Over the next several decades, a roll call of Pennsylvania’s native animals would be extirpated, including mountain lions, wolves, wolverines, badgers, pine marten, and fisher cats; whitetail deer were nearly wiped out of the state, as were black bears and turkeys.
—Literary Hub, 10 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for turkey
Recent Examples of Synonyms for turkey
Noun
-
While there’s no denying that gooseneck loosestrife (Lysimachia clethroides) is a charming plant with sweet white flowers that resemble a goose's neck, it's also widely recognized as a troublesome invasive.—
Samantha Johnson,
Martha Stewart,
7 June 2026
-
This typically gets worse over time and is often accompanied by a harsh goose-honking cough triggered by excitement or exercise.—
The Washington Post,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
30 May 2026
Noun
-
Lluís then calls Puig Antich a moron.—
Colm Tóibín,
The Atlantic,
14 Mar. 2026
-
This drunk moron — quite different from his character in the novel — bears a ton of blame.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
13 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Aemond is a murderer, Aegon is a rapist; if either of them ends up on the Iron Throne for good, that would be a disaster.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
19 June 2026
-
On the dusty backroads of Radiator Springs, where Lightning McQueen and his pals live, a shower of meteors threatened to bring destruction upon the quarter-size cars in a scene that disaster movie king Roland Emmerich would endorse.—
Sandra Gonzalez,
CNN Money,
19 June 2026
Noun
-
This game makes fools of us all.—
Nick Miller,
New York Times,
16 June 2026
-
But while that conversation was happening upstairs, Brian was downstairs making a fool of her yet again.—
Tom Smyth,
Vulture,
15 June 2026
Noun
-
My dad has always said the lottery is a tax on the stupid.—
Alex Crippen,
CNBC,
4 Apr. 2026
-
The scale of the headloss was best summed up by Luis Suarez attempting to reason with Messi, before the Argentine did anything on the Suarez scale of stupid.—
Phil Hay,
New York Times,
23 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Laredo International Airport Director Gilberto Sanchez also told CNN affiliate KGNS the aircraft experienced a mechanical failure before crashing.—
Diego Mendoza,
CNN Money,
17 June 2026
-
After years of abject failures, underachievement or agonising near-misses, Tuchel was hired to end England’s wait for a major international men’s trophy, which now extends to 60 years.—
Jack Pitt-Brooke,
New York Times,
16 June 2026
Noun
-
The lunatics are running the asylum.—
Eugenie Brinkema,
ARTnews.com,
14 June 2026
-
Tony Hale, Alia Shawkat, Michael Cera, Will Arnett and other lunatics round out the cast.—
Jordan Hoffman,
Entertainment Weekly,
8 June 2026
Noun
-
The vehicle was occupied by a front seat crash test dummy that was intended to represent an average-sized adult male and a back seat dummy that was intended to represent a small adult or a 12-year-old child.—
Keith Laing,
USA Today,
4 June 2026
-
Through the fuzz and the bad camera angles emerges an extraordinary catalogue of dummies, flicks, and feints, a hodge-podge of silly tricks.—
Jack Lang,
New York Times,
28 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Turkey.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/turkey. Accessed 20 Jun. 2026.
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