turnkey

American  

[turn-kee] / ˈtɜrnˌki /

noun

• turnkeys
  plural

1. a person who has charge of the keys of a prison; jailer.

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adjective

1. Also turn-key of, relating to, or resulting from an arrangement under which a private contractor designs and constructs a project, building, etc., for sale when completely ready for occupancy or operation.

   turn-key housing, turnkey contract.

2. fully equipped; ready to go into operation.

   a turnkey business.

turnkey British  

/ ˈtɜːnˌkiː /

noun

1. archaic a keeper of the keys, esp in a prison; warder or jailer

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adjective

1. denoting a project, as in civil engineering, in which a single contractor has responsibility for the complete job from the start to the time of installation or occupancy

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• turnkeys
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of turnkey

First recorded in 1645–55; turn + key ¹

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

turnkey turnkeys

Others have suggested that the older style and inland location did not appeal to buyers seeking contemporary, turnkey homes near the ocean.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 3, 2026

This home is poised to break the record because of its privacy, convenience and turnkey condition, Bowen said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 18, 2026

The report further recommends launching a consortium of builders that could offer turnkey rebuilding solutions to property owners who prefer not to undertake the rebuilding on their own.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 25, 2025

The simplicity of the "all in one" microcomb laser results in lower power demands, lower costs, high tunability, and a turnkey operation.

From Science Daily ● May 22, 2024

The turnkey was twenty stone of gross stupidity, with brown rotting teeth and small dark eyes.

From "A Game of Thrones" by George R.R. Martin

The veteran turnkeys consider the many rookies too green and soft.

From Time Magazine Archive

The rest of “us” consisted of a cook Davos never saw, six guardsmen in the ground-floor barracks, a pair of washerwomen, and the two turnkeys who looked after the prisoner.

From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin

While this voice rang through the chamber the turnkeys lay flat on their faces on the floor, and repeated their Avemaria.

From King Eric and the Outlaws, Vol. 1 or, the Throne, the Church, and the People in the Thirteenth Century. Vol. I. by Bernhard Severin Ingemann

I paid the gate-fees, and I gave the turnkeys a crown, and I gave the prisoners unbounded beer.

From Harper's New Monthly Magazine, February, 1852 by

It was in vain that we shouted to the turnkeys.

From The History Of The Last Trial By Jury For Atheism In England A Fragment of Autobiography Submitted for the Perusal of Her Majesty's Attorney-General and the British Clergy by George Jacob Holyoake

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