turbo

¹ American

[tur-boh] / ˈtɜr boʊ /

noun

plural

turbos

turbine.
Informal. turbocharger.
an automobile powered by an internal-combustion engine equipped with a turbocharger.

turbo- ² American

a combining form representing turbine in compound words.

turbojet.

turbo- British

combining form

of, relating to, or driven by a turbine

turbofan

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of turbo¹

1655–65, in sense “tornado”; 1900–05 turbo for def. 1; in part < Latin turbō top, whirlwind, in part by shortening of turbocharged ( def. ) or turbocharger

Origin of turbo-²

turb(ine) + -o-

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

“Every single rep between the blue lines,” said Jim Hughes, “is a turbo rep.”

From The Wall Street Journal • May 3, 2026

George Russell had a turbo problem early on, which was fixed by a reset in the garage, and could manage only the sixth-fastest time, 0.790secs slower than Leclerc.

From BBC • May 1, 2026

The way the One Big Beautiful Bill Act was implemented, economists flagged a turbo boost to income early in the year.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 15, 2026

A friend’s parent calls him “Turbo,” and he was doing all kinds of turbo things when the cameras caught him in the act.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 18, 2026

A whirring sound starts—like some kind of turbo jet engine—and rises to a fever pitch.

From "Warcross" by Marie Lu

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023