turnout

American  

[turn-out] / ˈtɜrnˌaʊt /

noun

• turnouts
  plural

1. the gathering of persons who come to an exhibition, party, spectacle, or the like.

   They had a large turnout at the meeting.

2. quantity of production; output.

3. an act of turning out.

4. the manner or style in which a person or thing is equipped, dressed, etc.

5. equipment; outfit.

6. a short side track, space, spur, etc., that enables trains, automobiles, etc., to pass one another or park.

7. Ballet. the turning out of the legs from the hips, with the feet back to back or heel to heel.

8. Railroads. a track structure composed of a switch, a frog, and closure rails, permitting a train to leave a given track for a branching or parallel track.

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• turnouts
  plural

Etymology

Origin of turnout

First recorded in 1680–90; noun use of verb phrase turn out

Explanation

Turnout means the total number of people who show up to vote or gather for an event. The success of democratic elections depends on voter turnout — how many people actually get out and vote. Voter turnout is crucial in an election, but turnout is not always about politics. When ballet dancers talk about turnout, they're referring to their ability to rotate their legs outward from the hips down to the toes. A turnout is also a place in the road where cars can turn around.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

turnout turnouts

The voting recieved a 75% turnout and 95% voted in favour of strike action.

From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026

In the 1980s, the late political strategist Clint Reilly was among the first political consultants to use voter roll data to segment and target pivotal voters for turnout and persuasion.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 2026

Such a sympathetic ear on the task force allowed for activists to push for an extra meeting in October; McCollum made sure to spread the word and ensure an even bigger community turnout.

From Slate ● Aug. 6, 2026

In the 2022 midterm elections, turnout in Shelby County, where Memphis is located, was just 34 percent.

From Barron's ● Aug. 5, 2026

Just as she’d said, there was a turnout a little ways along.

From "Endangered" by Eliot Schrefer

The turnouts in New York’s elections were well below anything that could be called representative of the community.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 2, 2026

Overall, this round of action is thought to be the third-largest in top-flight history, with the two above it boosted by festive turnouts, including Harlequins' annual Big Game fixture drawing near-capacity crowds to Allianz Stadium.

From BBC ● Mar. 30, 2026

“It’s just one election, but certainly the seeds have been planted for strong Latino Democratic turnouts in 2026,” said Brad Jones, a political science professor at UC Davis.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 8, 2025

For decades, Iran’s leaders could point to high voter turnouts in their elections as proof of the legitimacy of the Islamic Republic’s political system.

From New York Times ● May 21, 2024

They mustn’t spoil it for her with their petitions and turnouts.

From "Lyddie" by Katherine Paterson

Related Words

• output
• productivity
• turnover
• volume
• yield