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• murphy
  murphy

  noun

  an Irish or white potato.
• Murphy
  Murphy

  noun

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

murphy

¹ American  

[mur-fee] / ˈmɜr fi /

noun

murphies plural

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.

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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.

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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

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murphy ² British  

/ ˈmɜːfɪ /

noun

1. a dialect or informal word for potato

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Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

noun

• murphies
  plural

Etymology

Origin of murphy

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

Example Sentences

“There was a lot of hype, because he was different, loud and provocative,” said Murphy, a conservative who has advised former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and many other Republicans.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 9, 2026

“The kind of incrementalism that Eric Murphy seems to be doing is something from a bygone era, where people were more pragmatic in the movement and not punished for it,” she said.

From Salon • Jun. 8, 2026

When reached by phone, Glynn said delegates in the county voted and Murphy had the least amount of votes, which is why he did not receive the county’s endorsement.

From Salon • Jun. 8, 2026

To Brewers manager Pat Murphy, that might be the most impressive part of all.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 5, 2026

Only 27 hours after our post about Murphy goes up, he’s adopted.

From "The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl" by Stacy McAnulty

Related Words

• yam