turret

American  

[tur-it, tuhr-] / ˈtɜr ɪt, ˈtʌr- /

noun

• turrets
  plural

1. a small tower, usually one forming part of a larger structure.

2. a small tower at an angle of a building, as of a castle or fortress, frequently beginning some distance above the ground.

3. Also called turrethead.  a pivoted attachment on a lathe or the like for holding a number of tools, each of which can be presented to the work in rapid succession by a simple rotating movement.

4. Military. a domelike, sometimes heavily armored structure, usually revolving horizontally, within which guns are mounted, as on a fortification, ship, or aircraft.

5. Fortification. a tall structure, usually moved on wheels, formerly employed in breaching or scaling a fortified place, a wall, or the like.

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turret British  

/ ˈtʌrɪt /

noun

1. a small tower that projects from the wall of a building, esp a medieval castle

2. 1. a self-contained structure, capable of rotation, in which weapons are mounted, esp in tanks and warships

   2. a similar structure on an aircraft that houses one or more guns and sometimes a gunner

3. a tall wooden tower on wheels used formerly by besiegers to scale the walls of a fortress

4. (on a machine tool) a turret-like steel structure with tools projecting radially that can be indexed round to select or to bring each tool to bear on the work

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• turretless
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• turrets
  plural

Etymology

Origin of turret

1300–50; Middle English turet < Middle French turete, equivalent to tur tower ¹ + -ete -et

Explanation

A turret is a small tower that is taller than the rest of the building. The long-haired fairy tale heroine Rapunzel had to stay in a turret. The classic turret is perched at the very top of a stone castle and is often small and rounded, with tiny windows. Another meaning of turret is the structure on a tank or fort that's heavily protected with armor and contains a gun. Often this kind of turret is rounded and can rotate, in order to fire in different directions.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

turret turrets

He has a turret phone system that allows him to have multiple open phone lines, and it’s not uncommon for Paci to juggle three sets at once.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 23, 2026

Ms. Koons uses movement sparingly, in moments such as the arrival of the Stranger and Thorn Rose’s climb to the turret.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 24, 2026

Traitors are often awake until the wee hours filming turret scenes.

From Salon ● Feb. 28, 2026

When traitor Hugo was banished, the secret traitor took his place in the turret - and when they pulled back their red hood, it was Fiona underneath.

From BBC ● Jan. 23, 2026

It was a turret really, a flipped sand bucket and then a flipped Dixie cup on top of that.

From "Adrift" by Paul Griffin

During World War II, the DuPont company turned its scientific and manufacturing capacity to national service, producing munitions, nylon parachutes, Lucite airplane turrets, and many other products for the war effort.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 26, 2026

Humvees complete with gun turrets parked on Wilshire Boulevard.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2025

Students at Stadium can study tucked away in actual castle turrets, the light filtering through windows tinted by stained-glass panels crafted by former students.

From Seattle Times ● Apr. 29, 2024

This seaside respite on the Côte d’Azur was once a 17th-century soap factory yet looks like a castle thanks to a Scottish lord who, in the early 1900s, added turrets and crenelated ramparts.

From New York Times ● Mar. 27, 2024

There were stone turrets, an assortment of chimneys, and casement windows.

From "Chasing Vermeer" by Blue Balliett

Related Words

• minaret
• spire
• steeple