turd
Americannoun
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turds
plural
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a piece of excrement.
-
a mean, contemptible person.
noun
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a lump of dung; piece of excrement
-
an unpleasant or contemptible person or thing
Usage
This word was formerly considered to be taboo, and it was labelled as such in previous editions of Collins English Dictionary . However, it has now become acceptable in speech, although some older or more conservative people may object to its use
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of turd
before 1000; Middle English; Old English tord
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.
See Examples For:
"It's still very early days but, quoting Toto, it doesn't look like it's a turd, which is a bonus," Russell said.
From BBC ● Feb. 2, 2026
When professors aren’t able to distinguish between a student and an A.I., or editors put spit polish on a GPT-generated turd rather than discarding it altogether, it shows that the discrimination process is badly broken.
From Slate ● Jan. 31, 2023
When Butt-Head stares into a toilet, sticks a finger in the air and says: “Now why would someone put a turd in a toilet?” you know the rightful stupidity has been preserved.
From New York Times ● Oct. 4, 2022
A more timid filmmaker would have cut to a tasteful close-up of Armond’s face before the first turd fell.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 15, 2021
I flushed the toilet a second time, and the big turd spun a lazy circle.
From "Me Talk Pretty One Day" by David Sedaris
On the page, the mighty ships are reduced to stray dots like mouse turds.
From Salon ● Jul. 4, 2026
“There are literally turds and tampons in the street in front of my house,” Kathy Keily of Winter Park texted a friend group on Friday.
From Washington Post ● Oct. 4, 2022
“We’re tripping over mouse turds right now,” Wallace said.
From Seattle Times ● Sep. 27, 2022
Samsung’s Jet Bot AI Plus doesn’t come with the same promise, but its AI-powered 3D Object Recognition technology is backed by an Intel processor and is programmed to discern turds and other common clutter.
From The Verge ● Jan. 17, 2022
“You sit in a big chair and the turds float down this long stream of water, and you separate the big turds from the little turds.”
From "The Color of Water: A Black Man's Tribute to His White Mother" by James McBride
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.
