turf
Americannoun
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turfs,
plural
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turves
plural (especially British)
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a layer of matted earth formed by grass and plant roots.
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peat, especially as material for fuel.
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a block or piece of peat dug for fuel.
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Slang.
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the neighborhood over which a street gang asserts its authority.
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a familiar area, as of residence or expertise.
Denver is her turf. When you talk literature you're getting into my turf.
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Chiefly British. a piece cut or torn from the surface of grassland; sod.
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the turf,
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the track over which horse races are run.
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the practice or sport of racing horses.
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noun
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the surface layer of fields and pastures, consisting of earth containing a dense growth of grasses with their roots; sod
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a piece cut from this layer, used to form lawns, verges, etc
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a track, usually of grass or dirt, where horse races are run
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horse racing as a sport or industry
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slang the territory or area of activity over which a person or group claims exclusive rights
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an area of knowledge or influence
he's on home turf when it comes to music
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another term for peat 1
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informal to be an unavoidable part of a particular situation or process
verb
Usage
What does turf mean? Turf is the top layer of a grassy area consisting of a kind of mat of grass and its roots. It’s the layer you could cut out and pull up in one piece. Such pieces are in fact pulled up and used to form lawns. This is also called turf. A close synonym is sod. Artificial turf is a surface that’s supposed to resemble a grassy surface, such as is sometimes used on sports fields. A name for one kind of this is Astroturf. Turf is also a term for the area that a gang claims as its exclusive territory. This sense of turf can also be used more casually to refer to a physical or figurative area that one claims as one’s own, such as an area of expertise, as in Advertising is my turf, so please stick to accounting. This use of the word turf is used in the phrases turf war and home turf. Example: My cat claimed my dog’s bed as her turf, and the dog’s not happy about it.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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turfsimple
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turfssimple
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have turfedperfect
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has turfedperfect
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am turfingprogressive
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are turfingprogressive
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is turfingprogressive
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have been turfingperfect progressive
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has been turfingperfect progressive
Past
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turfedsimple
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had turfedperfect
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was turfingprogressive
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were turfingprogressive
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had been turfingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of turf
First recorded before 900; Middle English, Old English, cognate with Dutch turf, German Torf (from Low German ), Old Norse torf, akin to Sanskrit darbha “tuft of grass”; see turbary
Explanation
When you're walking on the perfect green grass of a golf course, you might remark on the gorgeous turf. Turf is the top layer of ground, especially when it's planted with grass. From its original meaning, referring to the top layer of soil in which plants are rooted, turf has expanded to include a range of senses. While you might carefully maintain your beautiful backyard turf, your dog might think of it as his turf, barking to defend it from intruders. This sense of turf means "range of influence," or territory. Both meanings of the word come from a Germanic root that originated in a Sanskrit word, darbha, "blade of grass."
Vocabulary lists containing turf
"Digging" by Seamus Heaney
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Outcasts United
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"Digging" by Seamus Heaney
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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:
On the walls where gang members in El Salvador once marked their turf, urban artists are now creating large murals in a traveling festival that fills the streets of the Central American country with color.
From Barron's ● Aug. 17, 2026
“I know more about grass than any human being,” Trump said, explaining that his experience operating golf courses had given him extensive knowledge of different varieties of turf.
From Salon ● Aug. 9, 2026
The nonprofit said that the plan is to release Jackie back to her home turf if and when she’s healthy and able to hunt and protect herself.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 29, 2026
It has not been uncommon for the goalkeeper to sit on the turf and signal for the physio, with all the other players rushing to the technical area for a team talk.
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
At the side of the mound, almost a part of the turf itself, rose a low cottage.
From "The Black Cauldron" by Lloyd Alexander
In most administrations, a natural tension exists between the secretary of state and the national security adviser as their turfs overlap and they vie for the president’s approval.
From Washington Post ● Mar. 16, 2023
"The no-nonsense presentation of award announcements and acceptance speeches was followed by a lively special that impressively showcased contemporary Broadway musicals on their home turfs and classic reunions that felt fresh and welcome."
From BBC ● Sep. 27, 2021
“There are different turfs and some turfs are better than others,” McCaffrey said.
From Seattle Times ● Aug. 6, 2021
Mega Millions and Powerball should also get back to protecting their respective turfs.
From Slate ● Oct. 26, 2018
It consisted solely of heaps of stones—which were handy for throwing down the hole—together with a few rusty Genoese cross-bows with their bolts and a pile of turfs for the unlit fire.
From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White
He cut out some turves at the foot of the bank just outside the fern-brake, and made a shallow hole and laid his fuel in it.
From "The Two Towers" by J. R. R. Tolkien
And so the red blood blushing in their faces and their eyes shining with wonder, Frodo and Sam went forward and saw that amidst the clamorous host were set three high-seats built of green turves.
From "The Return of the King" by J.R.R. Tolkien
It was newly raised: the raw earth was covered with fresh-cut turves: about it were planted fifteen spears.
From "The Two Towers" by J. R. R. Tolkien
At nightfall he brought them to his ent-house: nothing more than a mossy stone set upon turves under a green bank.
From "The Two Towers" by J. R. R. Tolkien
He found that a small brand, burning away to its outer end, had kindled some fern at the edge of the fire, and the fern blazing up had set the turves smouldering.
From "The Two Towers" by J. R. R. Tolkien
That made it a surprise when Titans ownership turfed him out after the 2023 season.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 2, 2026
Outside, there are turfed grounds, a basketball court, and a four-car garage.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 14, 2025
The affair so outraged locals that they turfed her out, in Scotland's first ever recall of a sitting MP.
From BBC ● Oct. 5, 2023
I have to say that I did run afoul of the authorities in Iran and was turfed out with 48 hours to leave and probably couldn’t go back, but I completely second what Pico said.
From New York Times ● Nov. 17, 2022
He turfed out half the contents of his trunk before he found it hiding beneath the rolled-up socks in which he was still keeping his bottle of lucky potion, Felix Felicis.
From "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" by J.K. Rowling
It infects the heath-star moss that is damaging UK environments by taking over and turfing out other species.
From BBC ● May 30, 2026
By turfing the British out, Gálvez denied them a port in the Gulf of Mexico.
From Washington Post ● Jul. 17, 2019
All the Australian tyro cared about was that he possessed the belief and the talent to prolong "the best week of my life" by turfing Nadal out of the grasscourt major.
From Reuters ● Jul. 1, 2014
“We’re not a turfing group for Google’s competitors.”
From Forbes ● Sep. 21, 2011
What pleasure have we taken in planting and pulling up, digging and scattering, watering and draining, turfing and gravelling!
From Anna St. Ives by Thomas Holcroft
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.
