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Synonyms

murphy

1 American  
[mur-fee] / ˈmɜr fi /

noun

plural

murphies

  1. an Irish or white potato.

  2. any of various confidence games in which a victim is left with a sealed envelope supposedly containing money, but which contains only newspaper or scrap paper cut to the same size as paper money.

verb (used with object)

murphied, murphying

  1. to victimize or dupe in such a manner.

Murphy 2 American  
[mur-fee] / ˈmɜr fi /

noun

  1. Frank, 1890–1949, U.S. statesman and jurist: associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court 1940–49.

  2. Isaac, 1861–96, U.S. thoroughbred racehorse jockey.

  3. William Parry 1892–1987, U.S. physician: Nobel Prize in medicine 1934.

Murphy 1 British  
/ ˈmɜːfɪ /

noun

  1. Alex. born 1939, English rugby league player and coach; scored 16 tries in 27 test matches for Great Britain (1958–71)

  2. Eddie, full name Edward Regan Murphy . born 1951, US film actor and comedian. His films include 48 Hours (1982), Beverly Hills Cop (1984), Coming to America (1988), Dr Dolittle (1998), and, as a voice artist, the Shrek series of animated films (2001–10)

  3. William Parry. 1892–1987, US physician: with G. R. Minot, he discovered the liver treatment for anaemia and they shared, with G. H. Whipple, the Nobel prize for physiology or medicine in 1934

"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
murphy 2 British  
/ ˈmɜːfɪ /

noun

  1. a dialect or informal word for potato

"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 murphy

First recorded in 1805–15; special uses of Murphy, a typical Irish surname

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.

A studio apartment with a shared murphy bed became their home.

From Washington Times • Oct. 15, 2015

A piece of sea-weed has often, heretofore, been used as a barometer; but it is only of late that this purpose has been answered by a murphy.

From The Comic Latin Grammar A new and facetious introduction to the Latin tongue by Leech, John

Mike reached over and carefully selected a big murphy, which he held with the thumb of his left hand and fingers circling about it.

From The Launch Boys' Adventures in Northern Waters by Hughes, Burton Donnel

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

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.