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  • turner
    turner
    noun
    a person or thing that turns or is employed in turning.
  • Turner
    Turner
    noun
    Frederick Jackson, 1861–1932, U.S. historian.

turner

1 American  
[tur-ner] / ˈtɜr nər /

noun

  1. a person or thing that turns or is employed in turning.

  2. a person who fashions or shapes objects on a lathe.


turner 2 American  
[tur-ner, toor-] / ˈtɜr nər, ˈtʊər- /

noun

  1. a member of a turnverein; tumbler or gymnast.


Turner 3 American  
[tur-ner] / ˈtɜr nər /

noun

  1. Frederick Jackson, 1861–1932, U.S. historian.

  2. Joseph Mallord William, 1775–1851, English painter.

  3. Joseph Vernon Big Joe, 1911–85, U.S. jazz and blues singer.

  4. Nat, 1800–31, enslaved African American leader: led uprising of enslaved and free Black people in Southampton County, Virginia, 1831.


Turner 1 British  
/ ˈtɜːnə /

noun

  1. Jane . born 1961, Australian television actress and writer, best known for playing 'Kath' in the comedy series Kath & Kim (2002–2007)

  2. J ( oseph ) M ( allord ) W ( illiam ). 1775–1851, British landscape painter; a master of water colours. He sought to convey atmosphere by means of an innovative use of colour and gradations of light

  3. Nat . 1800–31, US rebel slave, who led (1831) Turner's Insurrection, the only major slave revolt in US history: executed

  4. Robert Edward III, known as Ted. born 1938, US broadcasting executive and yachtsman; chairman of Turner Broadcasting (1970–96), founder of Cable News Network (1980), and vice-chairman of Time Warner (1996–2003)

  5. Tina , real name Annie Mae Bullock . born 1940, US rock singer who performed (1958–75) with her then husband Ike Turner (1931–2007) and later as a solo act. Her recordings include "River Deep, Mountain High" (1966) and "Simply the Best" (1991)

"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

turner 2 British  
/ ˈtɜːnə /

noun

  1. a person or thing that turns, esp a person who operates a lathe

  2. a member of a society of gymnasts

"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 turner1

Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400; see origin at turn, -er 1

Origin of turner2

1850–55; < German Turner gymnast, derivative of turnen to exercise < French tourner to turn; see -er 1

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:

Root all touch and timing, getting the tempo of his innings just right, on a low, slow turner.

From BBC Jan. 27, 2026

Bavuma, who has an unbeaten record as Test captain in 11 outings -- winning 10 and drawing one -- said the pitch "looks a lot better" from the turner with inconsistent bounce in Kolkata.

From Barron's Nov. 22, 2025

With no human behind the wheel, it sailed smoothly through the streets of Beijing, dodging the occasional double parker or illegal turner.

From The Wall Street Journal Nov. 8, 2025

Now there might not be a need for a seamer, with Masood confirming he wants another turner.

From BBC Oct. 18, 2024

This comic gave Jessie an excellent idea for something to make for Isa, and when she couldn’t get the sheet music turner to work, she created the water wall instead.

From "The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street" by Karina Yan Glaser

Bessent is “looking to put a remedial plan in place,” Turner told MarketWatch in an email.

From MarketWatch Aug. 20, 2026

Albertsons named former Fresh Market and Dollar Tree marketing chief Emily Turner as its new CMO.

From The Wall Street Journal Aug. 19, 2026

The last X-Men movie Dark Phoenix, which featured the likes of Jennifer Lawrence and Sophie Turner, came out in June 2019.

From BBC Aug. 15, 2026

“I’ve been to about nine or 10 faith-based agencies that help out homeless neighbors around the country, that do tremendous work and have results, real results,” Turner said.

From Los Angeles Times Aug. 12, 2026

As a child, Turner had once tried to persuade himself that preventing his mother’s sudden death by avoiding the pavement cracks outside his school playground was a nonsense.

From "Atonement" by Ian McEwan

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