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Turk

1 American  
[turk] / tɜrk /

noun

  • Turks
    plural
  1. a native or inhabitant of Turkey.

  2. (formerly) a native or inhabitant of the Ottoman Empire.

  3. a Muslim, especially a subject of the Sultan of Turkey.

  4. a member of any of the peoples speaking Turkic languages.

  5. one of a breed of Turkish horses closely related to the Arabian horse.

  6. any Turkish horse.

  7. Young Turk.

  8. Archaic. a cruel, brutal, and domineering man.


Turk. 2 American  

abbreviation

  1. Turkey.

  2. Turkic. Also Turk

  3. Turkish. Also Turk


Turk 1 British  
/ tɜːk /

noun

  1. a native, inhabitant, or citizen of Turkey

  2. a native speaker of any Turkic language, such as an inhabitant of Turkmenistan or Kyrgyzstan

  3. obsolete a violent, brutal, or domineering person

"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

Turk. 2 British  

abbreviation

  1. Turkey

  2. Turkish

"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

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Inflected Forms

Nouns


Etymology

Origin of Turk

First recorded in 1400–50; from Old French Turc, Middle English Turke, Turque, ultimately from Turkish Türk; compare Medieval Latin Turcus, Medieval Greek Toûrkos, Middle French turc, Italian turco, Persian turk


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:

Amin Turk, a 58-year-old Zimbabwean professional hunter, passed around a photo of a 1,400-pound Cape buffalo he shot four years ago.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 8, 2026

The case will hear allegations made by Nebahat Isbilen, an elderly Turkish woman, who says her former adviser Selman Turk misled her and used her wealth to his own advantage.

From BBC ● Nov. 3, 2026

That’s because stealing, begging or borrowing material in service of an artistic creation made by real people is enormously different from some corporation doing it to build a better Mechanical Turk.

From Salon ● Oct. 30, 2026

In a judgment on Friday, Justice Adam Johnson agreed, allowing Turk to rely on a witness summary and seek to call evidence from the former duke.

From BBC ● Oct. 23, 2026

Even when we’re plunged into darkness again, the ghostly outline of the raft, its rope held in the fist of a Turk who stands knee-deep in seawater, burns into my memory.

From "Without Refuge" by Jane Mitchell

A spokesman for the Duchess of York said: "The duchess was completely unaware of the allegations that have since emerged against Mr Turk. She is naturally concerned by what has been alleged against him."

From BBC ● Apr. 8, 2022

A spokesman for the Duchess of York said: "The Duchess was completely unaware of the allegations that have since emerged against Mr Turk. She is naturally concerned by what has been alleged against him."

From BBC ● Apr. 2, 2022

The growth of iMerit and similar companies represents a shift away from crowdsourcing services like Mechanical Turk. iMerit and its clients have greater control over how workers are trained and how the work is done.

From New York Times ● Aug. 16, 2019

“Cousin Turk. He delivers fertilizer to folks all over the county.”

From "Moon Over Manifest" by Clare Vanderpool

In old Turk. it means, a Prince of the blood; in mod. times a gentleman, Greek or European.

From The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night — Volume 15 by Sir Richard Francis Burton

Under Aliyev's decree on Wednesday, Ryan is one of 20 people including Azerbaijanis and Turks given a pardon.

From BBC ● Sep. 23, 2026

Piker initially came to fame a few years prior while making YouTube videos for his uncle’s media company The Young Turks.

From Slate ● Aug. 7, 2026

For many Turks, it has offered an affordable alternative at a time when soaring inflation has made holidays at home increasingly expensive.

From Barron's ● Jul. 31, 2026

But Frederick experienced an epiphany in 1734 after an inspirational encounter with Prince Eugene of Savoy, who had helped defeat the Ottoman Turks at Vienna in 1683 and the French at Blenheim in 1704.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 27, 2026

Now only Baraa and his wife are on the beach with the Turks.

From "Without Refuge" by Jane Mitchell

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