Tu -abbr

  1. Tuesday

Tua·reg ['twä-,reg] -n

  1. a member of a nomadic people of the central and western Sahara and along the middle Niger from Tombouctou to Nigeria

tu·a·ta·ra [,tü-ə-'tär-ə] -n

  1. a large spiny quadrupedal reptile ( Sphenodon punctatum) of islands off the coast of New Zealand that has a vestigial third eye in the middle of the forehead representing the pineal gland and that is the only surviving rhynchocephalian

tub ['təb] -n, adj

  1. a wide low vessel orig. formed with wooden staves, round bottom, and hoops
  2. a small round container in which a product is sold
    • a tub of butter
  3. an old or slow boat
  4. bathtub
  5. bath
  6. the amount that a tub will hold
  7. to wash or bathe in a tub
  8. to put or store in a tub
  9. bathe
  10. to undergo washing

tu·ba ['tü-bə, 'tyü-] -n

  1. a large low-pitched brass instrument usu. oval in shape and having a conical tube, a cup-shaped mouthpiece, and a usual range an octave lower than that of the euphonium

tub·al ['tü-bəl, 'tyü-] -adj

  1. of, relating to, or involving a tube and esp. a fallopian tube
    • tubal infection

tubal ligation -n

  1. ligation of the fallopian tubes that by preventing passage of ova from the ovaries to the uterus serves as a method of female sterilization

tubal pregnancy -n

  1. ectopic pregnancy in a fallopian tube

tub·by ['tə-bē] -adj

  1. sounding dull and without proper resonance or freedom of sound
    • a tubby violin
  2. pudgy, fat

tube ['tüb, 'tyüb] -n, adj

  1. : any of various usu. cylindrical structures or devices: as
  2. a hollow elongated cylinder
  3. one to convey fluids
  4. a soft tubular container whose contents (as toothpaste) can be removed by squeezing
  5. tunnel
  6. subway
  7. the basically cylindrical section between the mouthpiece and bell that is the fundamental part of a wind instrument
  8. a slender channel (as a fallopian tube or a pollen tube) within a plant or animal body : duct
  9. the narrow basal portion of a corolla with united petals or a calyx with united sepals
  10. inner tube
  11. electron tube
  12. vacuum tube
  13. cathode-ray tube
  14. a television picture tube
  15. television
  16. an article of clothing shaped like a tube
    • a tube top
    • tube socks

tube foot -n

  1. one of the small flexible tubular processes of most echinoderms that are extensions of the water-vascular system and are used esp. in locomotion and grasping

tube·less ['tüb-ləs, 'tyüb-] -adj

  1. lacking a tube
  2. being a pneumatic tire that does not depend on an inner tube for airtightness

tube nucleus -n

  1. the one of the two nuclei formed by mitotic division of a microspore during the formation of a pollen grain that is held to control subsequent growth of the pollen tube and that does not divide again

tube pan -n

  1. a ring-shaped cake pan with a hollow tubular center

tu·ber ['tü-bər, 'tyü-] -n

  1. a short fleshy usu. underground stem bearing minute scale leaves each of which bears a bud in its axil and is potentially able to produce a new plant
  2. a fleshy root or rhizome resembling a tuber
  3. tuberosity

tu·ber·cle ['tü-bər-kəl, 'tyü-] -n

  1. : a small knobby prominence or excrescence esp. on a plant or animal : nodule: as
  2. a protuberance near the head of a rib that articulates with the transverse process of a vertebra
  3. any of several prominences in the central nervous system
  4. nodule
  5. a small abnormal discrete lump in the substance of an organ or in the skin
  6. the specific lesion of tuberculosis

tubercle bacillus -n

  1. a bacterium ( Mycobacterium tuberculosis) that is a major cause of tuberculosis

tubercul- -comb form

  1. tubercle
    • tubercul ar
  2. tubercle bacillus
    • tubercul in
  3. tuberculosis
    • tubercul oid

tu·ber·cu·lar [tu̇-'bər-kyə-lər, tyu̇-] -adj

  1. of, relating to, or affected with tuberculosis
    • a tubercular patient
  2. caused by the tubercle bacillus
    • tubercular meningitis
  3. characterized by lesions that are or resemble tubercles
    • tubercular leprosy
  4. relating to, resembling, or constituting a tubercle
    • a tubercular lump

tubercular -n

  1. a person with tuberculosis

tu·ber·cu·lat·ed [tu̇-'bər-kyə-,lā-təd, tyu̇-] -adj

  1. having tubercles : characterized by or beset with tubercles

tu·ber·cu·lin [tu̇-'bər-kyə-lən, tyu̇-] -n

  1. a sterile liquid containing the growth products of or specific substances extracted from the tubercle bacillus and used in the diagnosis of tuberculosis esp. in children and cattle

tuberculin test -n

  1. a test for hypersensitivity to tuberculin as an indication of past or present tubercular infection

tu·ber·cu·loid [tu̇-'bər-kyə-,lȯid, tyu̇-] -adj

  1. resembling tuberculosis esp. in the presence of tubercles
    • tuberculoid leprosy

tu·ber·cu·lo·sis [tu̇-,bər-kyə-'lō-səs, tyu̇-] -n

  1. a highly variable communicable disease of humans and some other vertebrates that is caused by the tubercle bacillus and rarely in the U.S. by a related mycobacterium ( Mycobacterium bovis), that affects esp. the lungs but may spread to other areas (as the kidney or spinal column), and that is characterized by fever, cough, difficulty in breathing, formation of tubercles, caseation, pleural effusions, and fibrosis

tu·ber·cu·lous [tu̇-'bər-kyə-ləs, tyu̇-] -adj

  1. constituting or affected with tuberculosis
    • a tuberculous process
  2. caused by or resulting from the presence or products of the tubercle bacillus
    • tuberculous peritonitis

tube·rose ['tü-,brōz, 'tyü-, also -bə-,rōz, -bə-,rōs] -n

  1. a Mexican bulbous herb ( Polianthes tuberosa) of the agave family cultivated for its spike of fragrant white single or double flowers

tu·ber·os·i·ty [,tü-bə-'rä-sə-tē, ,tyü-] -n

  1. a rounded prominence
  2. a large prominence on a bone usu. serving for the attachment of muscles or ligaments

tu·ber·ous ['tü-b(ə-)rəs, 'tyü-] -adj

  1. consisting of, bearing, or resembling a tuber
  2. of, relating to, or being a plant tuber or tuberous root of a plant

tuberous root -n, adj

  1. a thick fleshy storage root (as of a dahlia) that is like a tuber but lacks buds or scale leaves

tube worm -n

  1. : a worm that lives in a tube: as
  2. any of various polychaetes or oligochaetes
  3. pogonophoran
  4. vestimentiferan

tu·bi·fex worm ['tü-bə-,feks-, 'tyü-] -n

  1. any of a genus ( Tubifex) of slender reddish tubificid worms that live in tubes in fresh or brackish water, are widely used as food for aquarium fish, and serve as a host for the protozoan causing whirling disease in fish called also tubifex

tu·bi·fi·cid [tü-'bi-fə-səd, tyü-; ,t(y)ü-bə-'fi-səd] -n, adj

  1. any of a family (Tubificidae) of aquatic oligochaetes including the tubifex worms

tub·ing ['tü-biŋ, 'tyü-] -n

  1. material in the form of a tube
  2. a length or piece of tube
  3. a series or system of tubes
  4. the sport or activity of riding an inner tube (as down a river or snowy slope)

tu·bo·cu·ra·rine [,tü-bō-kyu̇-'rär-ən, ,tyü-, -,ēn] -n

  1. a toxic alkaloid or its crystalline hydrochloride salt C 37H 42Cl 2N 2O 6that is obtained chiefly from the bark and stems of a So. American vine ( Chondrodendron tomentosumof the family Menispermaceae) and in its dextrorotatory form constitutes the chief active constituent of curare and is used esp. as a skeletal muscle relaxant

tubthump·er ['təb-,thəm-pər] -n, vb

  1. a vociferous supporter (as of a cause)

tu·bu·lar ['tü-byə-lər, 'tyü-] -adj

  1. having the form of or consisting of a tube
    • a tubular calyx
  2. made or provided with tubes
  3. of, relating to, or sounding as if produced through tubes

tu·bule ['tü-(,)byül, 'tyü-] -n

  1. a small tube
  2. a slender elongated anatomical channel

tu·bu·lin ['tü-byə-lən, 'tyü-] -n

  1. a globular protein that polymerizes to form microtubules

TUC -abbr

  1. Trades Union Congress

tu·chun ['dü-'jün, -'jᵫn] -n

  1. a Chinese military governor (as of a province)
  2. a Chinese warlord

tuck ['tək] -vb

  1. to pull up into a fold
  2. to make a tuck in
  3. to put into a snug often concealing or isolating place
    • a cottage tuck ed away in the hill
  4. to push in the loose end of so as to hold tightly
    • tuck in your shirt
  5. to cover by tucking in bedclothes usu. used with in
  6. eat usu. used with away or in
    • tuck ed away a big lunch
  7. to put into a tuck position
  8. to draw together into tucks or folds
  9. to eat or drink heartily usu. used with into
    • tuck ed into their beer and pretzels
  10. to fit snugly
  11. a fold stitched into cloth to shorten, decorate, or control fullness
  12. the part of a vessel where the ends of the lower planks meet under the stern
  13. an act or instance of tucking
  14. something tucked or to be tucked in
  15. a body position (as in diving) in which the knees are bent, the thighs drawn tightly to the chest, and the hands clasped around the shins
  16. a skiing position in which the skier squats forward and holds the ski poles under the arms and parallel to the ground
  17. a cosmetic surgical operation for the removal of excess skin or fat from a body part
    • a tummy tuck
  18. a sound of or as if of a drumbeat
  19. rapier
  20. vigor, energy
    • seemed to kind of take the tuck all out of me -- Mark Twain

tuck·a·hoe ['tə-kə-,hō] -n

  1. either of two arums ( Peltandra virginicaand Orontium aquaticum) of the U.S. with rootstocks used as food by American Indians
  2. the large edible sclerotium of a subterranean fungus ( Poria cocos)

tuck·er ['tə-kər] -n

  1. a piece of lace or cloth in the neckline of a dress
  2. one that tucks
  3. food

tucker ['tə-k(ə-)riŋ] -vt

  1. exhaust often used with out
    • was all tucker ed out after a long day's work

tuck·erbag ['tə-kər-,bag] -n

  1. a bag used esp. by travelers in the bush to hold food

tuck·et ['tə-kət] -n

  1. a fanfare on a trumpet

tuckpoint ['tək-,pȯint] -vt

  1. to finish (the mortar joints between bricks or stones) with a narrow ridge of putty or fine lime mortar

tuckshop [-,shäp] -n

  1. a confectioner's shop : confectionery

Tu·dor ['tü-dər, 'tyü-] -adj, n

  1. of or relating to the English royal house that ruled from 1485 to 1603
  2. of, relating to, or characteristic of the Tudor period

Tudor arch -n

  1. a low elliptical 3-, 4-, or 5-centered arch
  2. a 4-centered pointed arch

Tues -abbr

  1. Tuesday

Tues·day ['tüz-(,)dā, 'tyüz-, -dē] -n, adv

  1. the third day of the week

tu·fa ['tü-fə, 'tyü-] -n, adj

  1. tuff
  2. a porous rock formed as a deposit from springs or streams
  3. travertine

tuff ['təf] -n, adj

  1. a rock composed of the finer kinds of volcanic detritus usu. fused together by heat

tuf·fet ['tə-fət] -n

  1. tuft
  2. a low seat

tuft ['təft] -n, adj

  1. a small cluster of elongated flexible outgrowths attached or close together at the base and free at the opposite ends
  2. a growing bunch of grasses or close-set plants
  3. a bunch of soft fluffy threads cut off short and used as ornament
  4. clump, cluster
  5. mound
  6. any of the projections of yarns drawn through a fabric or making up a fabric so as to produce a surface of raised loops or cut pile
  7. to provide or adorn with a tuft
  8. to make (a fabric) of or with tufts
  9. to make (as a mattress) firm by stitching at intervals and sewing on tufts
  10. to form into or grow in tufts

tug ['təg] -vb, n

  1. to pull hard
  2. to struggle in opposition : contend
  3. to exert oneself laboriously : labor
  4. to pull or strain hard at
  5. to move by pulling hard : haul
  6. to carry with difficulty : lug
  7. to tow with a tugboat
  8. trace
  9. a short leather strap or loop
  10. a rope or chain used for pulling
  11. an act or instance of tugging : pull
  12. a strong pulling force
  13. a straining effort
  14. a struggle between two people or opposite forces
  15. tugboat

tug·boat ['təg-,bōt] -n

  1. a strongly built powerful boat used for towing and pushing called also towboat

tugofwar [,təg-ə(v)-'wȯr] -n

  1. a struggle for supremacy or control usu. involving two antagonists
  2. a contest in which two teams pull against each other at opposite ends of a rope with the object of pulling the middle of the rope over a mark on the ground

tuille ['twēl] -n

  1. one of the hinged plates before the thigh in plate armor

tu·ition [tə-'wi-shən, tyu̇-] -n, adj

  1. custody, guardianship
  2. the act or profession of teaching : instruction
    • pursued his studies under private tuition
  3. the price of or payment for instruction

tu·la·re·mia [,tü-lə-'rē-mē-ə, ,tyü-] -n, adj

  1. an infectious zoonotic disease esp. of wild rabbits, rodents, humans, and some domestic animals that is caused by a bacterium ( Francisella tularensis), is transmitted esp. by the bites of insects or ticks or by handling infected animals, and in humans is marked by variable symptoms called also rabbit fever

tu·le ['tü-lē] -n

  1. either of two large New World bulrushes ( Scirpus californicusand S. acutus)

tule elk -n

  1. a relatively small elk ( Cervus elaphus nannodes) native to California

tu·lip ['tü-ləp, 'tyü-] -n

  1. any of a genus ( Tulipa) of Eurasian bulbous herbs of the lily family that have linear or broadly lanceolate leaves and are widely grown for their showy flowers
  2. the flower or bulb of a tulip

tulip poplar -n

  1. tulip tree
  2. tulipwood

tulip tree -n

  1. a tall No. American timber tree ( Liriodendron tulipifera) of the magnolia family having large greenish-yellow tulip-shaped flowers and soft white wood used esp. for cabinetwork and woodenware called also tulip poplar yellow poplar
  2. any of various trees other than the tulip tree with tulip-shaped flowers

tu·lip·wood ['tü-ləp-,wu̇d, 'tyü-] -n

  1. wood of the No. American tulip tree
  2. any of several showily striped or variegated woods
  3. the rose-colored wood of a chiefly Brazilian tree ( Dalbergia frutescens) of the legume family much used by cabinetmakers for inlaying
  4. a tree that yields tulipwood

tulle ['tül] -n

  1. a sheer often stiffened silk, rayon, or nylon net used chiefly for veils or ballet costumes

tum·ble ['təm-bəl] -vb

  1. to fall suddenly and helplessly
  2. to suffer a sudden downfall, overthrow, or defeat
  3. to decline suddenly and sharply (as in price) : drop
    • the stock market tumbled
  4. to fall into ruin : collapse
  5. to perform gymnastic feats in tumbling
  6. to turn end over end in falling or flight
  7. to roll over and over, to and fro, or end over end : toss
  8. to issue forth hurriedly and confusedly
  9. to come by chance : stumble
  10. to come to understand : catch on
    • didn't tumble to the seriousness of the problem
  11. to cause to tumble (as by pushing or toppling)
  12. to throw together in a confused mass
  13. rumple, disorder
  14. to whirl in a tumbling barrel

tumble -n

  1. a disordered mass of objects or material
  2. a disorderly state
  3. an act or instance of tumbling

tum·ble·bug ['təm-bəl-,bəg] -n

  1. any of various scarab beetles (esp. genera Scarabaeus, Canthon, Copris,or Phanaeus) that roll dung into small balls, bury them in the ground, and lay eggs in them

tum·ble·down ['təm-bəl-'dau̇n] -adj

  1. dilapidated, ramshackle
    • a tumbledown house at the edge of town -- Sherwood Anderson

tumble dry -vt, n

  1. to dry (as clothes) by tumbling in a dryer

tum·bler ['təm-blər] -n

  1. : one that tumbles: as
  2. one who performs tumbling feats : acrobat
  3. any of various domestic pigeons that tumble or somersault backward in flight or on the ground
  4. a drinking glass without foot or stem and orig. with pointed or convex base
  5. a movable obstruction in a lock (as a lever, latch, wheel, slide, or pin) that must be adjusted to a particular position (as by a key) before the bolt can be thrown
  6. a piece on which the mainspring acts in a gun's lock
  7. a device or mechanism for tumbling (as a revolving cage in which clothes are dried)
  8. a worker who operates a tumbler

tum·ble·weed ['təm-bəl-,wēd] -n

  1. a plant (as Russian thistle or any of several amaranths) that breaks away from its roots in the autumn and is driven about by the wind as a light rolling mass

tumbling -n

  1. the skill, practice, or sport of executing gymnastic feats (as somersaults and handsprings) without the use of apparatus
  2. tipped or slanted out of the vertical used esp. of a cattle brand

tumbling barrel -n

  1. a revolving cask in which objects or materials undergo a process (as drying or polishing) by being whirled about

tumbling verse -n

  1. an early modern English type of verse having four stresses but no prevailing type of foot and no regular number of syllables

tum·brel ['təm-brəl] -n

  1. a farm tipcart
  2. a vehicle carrying condemned persons (as political prisoners during the French Revolution) to a place of execution

tu·me·fac·tion [,tü-mə-'fak-shən, ,tyü-] -n

  1. an action or process of swelling or becoming tumorous
  2. swelling

tu·mes·cence [tü-'me-sᵊn(t)s, tyü-] -n

  1. the quality or state of being tumescent
  2. readiness for sexual activity marked esp. by vascular congestion of the sex organs

tu·mes·cent [-sᵊnt] -adj

  1. somewhat swollen
    • tumescent tissue

tu·mid ['tü-məd, 'tyü-] -adj

  1. marked by swelling : swollen, enlarged
    • a badly infected tumid leg
  2. protuberant, bulging
    • sails tumid in the breeze
  3. bombastic, turgid

tumm·ler ['tu̇m-lər] -n

  1. a comic entertainer or social director at a Jewish resort

tum·my ['tə-mē] -n

  1. stomach

tu·mor ['tü-mər, 'tyü-] -n, adj

  1. a swollen or distended part
  2. an abnormal benign or malignant new growth of tissue that possesses no physiological function and arises from uncontrolled usu. rapid cellular proliferation called also neoplasm

tu·mor·i·gen·ic [,tü-mə-rə-'je-nik, ,tyü-] -adj, n

  1. producing or tending to produce tumors
  2. carcinogenic

tumor necrosis factor -n

  1. a protein that is produced chiefly by monocytes and macrophages in response esp. to endotoxins and that mediates inflammation and induces the destruction of some tumor cells and the activation of white blood cells

tu·mor·ous ['tü-mə-rəs, 'tyü-; 'tüm-rəs, 'tyüm-] -adj

  1. of, relating to, or resembling a tumor
    • tumorous cells
    • a tumorous growth

tumor suppressor gene -n

  1. any of a class of genes (as p53) that act in normal cells to inhibit unrestrained cell division and that when inactivated (as by mutation) place the cell at increased risk for malignant proliferation

tu·mour ['tü-mər, 'tyü-] -n, adj

(variant of tumor)

  1. a swollen or distended part
  2. an abnormal benign or malignant new growth of tissue that possesses no physiological function and arises from uncontrolled usu. rapid cellular proliferation called also neoplasm

tump ['təmp] -n

  1. mound, hummock
  2. a clump of vegetation
  3. to tip or turn over esp. accidentally usu. used with over
    • sooner or later everybody tump s over. Nothing to worry about if you don't get caught under the canoe -- Don Kennard
  4. to cause to tip over : overturn, upset usu. used with over

tump·line ['təmp-,līn] -n

  1. a sling formed by a strap slung over the forehead or chest and used for carrying or helping to support a pack on the back or in hauling loads

tu·mult ['tü-,məlt, 'tyü- also 'tə-] -n

  1. disorderly agitation or milling about of a crowd usu. with uproar and confusion of voices : commotion
  2. a turbulent uprising : riot
  3. hubbub, din
  4. violent agitation of mind or feelings
  5. a violent outburst

tu·mul·tu·ary [tu̇-'məl-chə-,wer-ē, tyu̇-, tə-] -adj

  1. attended or marked by tumult, riot, lawlessness, confusion, or impetuosity

tu·mul·tu·ous [tu̇-'məl-chə-wəs, tyu̇-, tə-, -chəs; -'məlch-wəs] -adj, adv, n

  1. marked by tumult
    • tumultuous applause
  2. tending or disposed to cause or incite a tumult
    • the laws...were violated by a tumultuous faction -- Edward Gibbon
  3. marked by violent or overwhelming turbulence or upheaval
    • tumultuous passions

tu·mu·lus ['tü-myə-ləs, 'tyü-, 'tə-] -n

  1. an artificial hillock or mound (as over a grave)
  2. an ancient grave : barrow

tun ['tən] -n

  1. a large cask esp. for wine
  2. any of various units of liquid capacity
  3. one equal to 252 gallons

tu·na ['tü-nə] -n

  1. any of various flat-jointed prickly pears (genus Opuntia)
  2. one ( O. tuna) of tropical America
  3. the edible fruit of a tuna
  4. any of numerous large vigorous scombroid food and sport fishes (as an albacore or a bluefin tuna)
  5. the flesh of a tuna esp. when canned for use as food called also tuna fish

tun·able ['tü-nə-bəl, 'tyü-] -adj, n, adv

  1. tuneful
  2. sounding in tune : concordant
  3. capable of being tuned
    • tunable lasers

tun·dish ['tən-,dish] -n

  1. funnel
  2. a reservoir in the top part of a mold into which molten metal is poured

tun·dra ['tən-drə also 'tu̇n-] -n

  1. a level or rolling treeless plain that is characteristic of arctic and subarctic regions, consists of black mucky soil with a permanently frozen subsoil, and has a dominant vegetation of mosses, lichens, herbs, and dwarf shrubs
  2. a similar region confined to mountainous areas above timberline

tundra swan -n

  1. a native No. American swan ( Cygnus columbianus) that has a soft high-pitched call, breeds in the Arctic tundra, and winters in shallow fresh or salt water esp. along the eastern and western coasts of the U.S. called also whistling swan

tune ['tün, 'tyün] -n

  1. quality of sound : tone
  2. manner of utterance : intonation
  3. phonetic modulation
  4. a pleasing succession of musical tones : melody
  5. a dominant theme
  6. correct musical pitch or consonance used chiefly in the phrases in tune and out of tune
  7. a frame of mind : mood
  8. agreement, harmony
    • in tune with the times
  9. general attitude : approach
    • changed his tune when the going got rough
  10. amount, extent
    • custom-made to the tune of 40 to 50 apiece -- Amer. Fabrics
  11. to adjust in musical pitch or cause to be in tune
    • tuned her guitar
  12. to bring into harmony : attune
  13. to adjust for precise functioning often used with up
    • tune up an engine
  14. to make more precise, intense, or effective
  15. : to adjust with respect to resonance at a particular frequency: as
  16. to adjust (a radio or television receiver) to respond to waves of a particular frequency often used with in
  17. to establish radio contact with
    • tune in a directional beacon
  18. to adjust the frequency of the output of (a device) to a chosen frequency or range of frequencies
  19. to alter the frequency of (radiation)
  20. to become attuned
  21. to adjust a radio or television receiver to respond to waves of a particular frequency

tunedin ['tünd-'in, 'tyünd-] -adj

  1. turned-on

tune·ful ['tün-fəl, 'tyün-] -adj, adv, n

  1. melodious, musical
    • a tuneful ballad

tune in -vt

  1. to listen to or view a broadcast of
    • tuned in the weather report
  2. to listen to or view a broadcast
    • tune in next week for the conclusion
  3. to associate oneself with what is happening or one's surroundings

tune·less ['tün-ləs, 'tyün-] -adj, adv

  1. not tuneful
  2. not producing music

tune out -vt

  1. to become unresponsive to : ignore
  2. to dissociate oneself from what is happening or one's surroundings

tun·er ['tü-nər, 'tyü-] -n

  1. one that tunes
    • a piano tuner
  2. something used for tuning
  3. the part of a receiving set that converts radio signals into audio or video signals

tune·smith ['tün-,smith, 'tyün-] -n

  1. a composer esp. of popular songs

tuneup [-,əp] -n

  1. a general adjustment to insure operation at peak efficiency
    • an engine tuneup
  2. a preliminary trial : warm-up

tung ['təŋ] -n

  1. tung tree

tung oil -n

  1. a pale yellow pungent drying oil obtained from the seeds of tung trees and used chiefly in quick-drying varnishes and paints and as a waterproofing agent

tung·state ['təŋ-,stāt] -n

  1. a salt or ester of a tungstic acid and esp. of H 2WO 4

tung·sten ['təŋ-stən] -n

  1. a gray-white heavy high-melting ductile hard polyvalent metallic element that resembles chromium and molybdenum in many of its properties and is used esp. in carbide materials and electrical components (as lamp filaments) and in hardening alloys (as steel)

tung·stic acid ['təŋ-stik-] -n

  1. a yellow crystalline powder WO 3that is the trioxide of tungsten
  2. an acid (as H 2WO 4) derived from this trioxide

tung tree -n

  1. any of several trees (genus Aleurites) of the spurge family whose seeds yield tung oil
  2. an Asian tree ( A. fordii) widely grown in warm regions

Tun·gus [tu̇ŋ-'güz, tən-] -n

  1. a member of an indigenous people of central and southeastern Siberia
  2. the Tungusic language of the Tungus people

Tun·gu·sic [-'gü-zik] -n, adj

  1. a family of Altaic languages spoken in Manchuria and northward

tu·nic ['tü-nik, 'tyü-] -n

  1. a simple slip-on garment made with or without sleeves and usu. knee-length or longer, belted at the waist, and worn as an under or outer garment by men and women of ancient Greece and Rome
  2. surcoat
  3. an enclosing or covering membrane or tissue
    • the tunic of a seed
  4. a long usu. plain close-fitting jacket with high collar worn esp. as part of a uniform
  5. tunicle
  6. a short overskirt
  7. a hip-length or longer blouse or jacket

tu·ni·ca ['tü-ni-kə, 'tyü-] -n

  1. an enveloping membrane or layer of body tissue

tu·ni·cate ['tü-ni-kət, 'tyü-, -nə-,kāt] -adj

  1. having or covered with a tunic or tunica
  2. having, arranged in, or made up of concentric layers
    • a tunicate flower bulb
  3. of or relating to the tunicates
  4. any of a subphylum (Urochordata syn. Tunicata) of marine chordate animals (as ascidians) that are filter feeders having a thick secreted covering layer, a greatly reduced nervous system, and only in the larval stage a notochord

tu·ni·cle ['tü-ni-kəl, 'tyü-] -n

  1. a short vestment worn by a subdeacon over the alb during mass and by a bishop under the dalmatic at pontifical ceremonies

tuning fork -n

  1. a 2-pronged metal implement that gives a fixed tone when struck and is useful for tuning musical instruments and ascertaining standard pitch

tuning pipe -n

  1. pitch pipe
  2. one of a set of pitch pipes used esp. for tuning stringed musical instruments

tun·nel ['tə-nᵊl] -n, adj

  1. a hollow conduit or recess : tube, well
  2. a covered passageway
  3. a horizontal passageway through or under an obstruction
  4. a subterranean gallery (as in a mine)
  5. burrow

tunnel ['tən-liŋ, 'tə-nᵊl-iŋ] -vb, n

  1. to make or use a tunnel
  2. to pass through a potential barrier
    • electrons tunnel ing through an insulator between semiconductors
  3. to make a tunnel or similar opening through or under
  4. to make (one's way) by or as if by making a tunnel

tunnel vision [-'vi-zhənd] -n, adj

  1. constriction of the visual field resulting in loss of peripheral vision
  2. extreme narrowness of viewpoint : narrowmindedness
  3. single-minded concentration on one objective

tun·ny ['tə-nē] -n

  1. tuna

tup ['təp] -n

  1. ram
  2. a heavy metal body (as the weight of a pendulum)
  3. to copulate with (a ewe)

tu·pe·lo ['tü-pə-,lō, 'tyü-] -n

  1. any of a genus ( Nyssaof the family Nyssaceae) of No. American and Asian deciduous trees that have simple alternate leaves, small usu. greenish-white dioecious flowers, and a rounded drupe
  2. black gum
  3. the pale soft wood of a tupelo

Tu·pi [tü-'pē, 'tü-(,)] -n, adj or n

  1. tupinamba
  2. a language family of lowland South America that includes Tupi-Guarani and the speech of a number of other peoples living mainly in Brazil south of the Amazon River

Tu·piGua·ra·ni [tü-,pē-,gwär-ə-'nē, 'tü-(,)pē-] -n, adj or n

  1. tupi
  2. a branch of the Tupi language family that includes Tupinamba, Guarani, and a number of other languages spoken from French Guiana south to Paraguay and west to eastern Colombia

Tu·pi·nam·ba [tü-pə-'nam-bə, -,nam-'bä] -n

  1. a member of a group of American Indian peoples who lived along a broad stretch of the Brazilian coast from the vicinity of Guanabara Bay to the mouth of the Amazon River
  2. the extinct language of the Tupinamba

tuppence ['tə-pən(t)s, US also 'tü-,pen(t)s] -n

(variant of twopence)

  1. the sum of two British pennies
  2. a coin worth twopence

tuque ['tük, 'tyük] -n

  1. a warm knitted usu. pointed stocking cap

tu quo·que ['tü-'kwō-kwē, 'tyü-, -'kō-] -n

  1. a retort charging an adversary with being or doing what he criticizes in others

tu·ra·co ['tu̇r-ə-(,)kō] -n

  1. any of a family (Musophagidae) of typically crested African birds that are related to the cuckoos and have a long tail, a short stout often colored bill, and red wing feathers

Tu·ra·ni·an [tu̇-'rā-nē-ən, tyu̇-, -'rä-] -n, adj

  1. a member of any of various peoples speaking Ural-Altaic languages
  2. ural-altaic

tur·ban ['tər-bən] -n, adj

  1. a headdress worn chiefly in countries of the eastern Mediterranean and southern Asia esp. by Muslims and made of a cap around which is wound a long cloth
  2. a headdress resembling a turban
  3. a woman's close-fitting hat without a brim
  4. a rolled stuffed fillet of fish
    • turban of sole

tur·bel·lar·i·an [,tər-bə-'ler-ē-ən] -n, adj

  1. any of a class (Turbellaria) of mostly aquatic and free-living flatworms (as a planarian)

tur·bid ['tər-bəd] -adj, n, adv

  1. thick or opaque with or as if with roiled sediment
    • a turbid stream
  2. heavy with smoke or mist
  3. deficient in clarity or purity : foul, muddy
    • turbid depths of degradation and misery -- C. I. Glicksberg
  4. characterized by or producing obscurity (as of mind or emotions)
    • an emotionally turbid response

tur·bi·dim·e·ter [,tər-bə-'di-mə-tər] -n, adj, adv

  1. an instrument for measuring and comparing the turbidity of liquids by viewing light through them and determining how much light is cut off
  2. nephelometer

tur·bi·dite ['tər-bə-,dīt] -n

  1. a sedimentary deposit consisting of material that has moved down the steep slope at the edge of a continental shelf
  2. a rock formed from this deposit

tur·bi·nate ['tər-bə-nət, -,nāt] -adj

  1. shaped like a top or an inverted cone
    • turbinate seed capsule
  2. relating to or being a turbinate

turbinate -n

  1. one of usu. several thin plicated membrane-covered bony or cartilaginous plates on the walls of the nasal chambers

tur·bine ['tər-bən, -,bīn] -n

  1. a rotary engine actuated by the reaction or impulse or both of a current of fluid (as water, steam, or air) subject to pressure and usu. made with a series of curved vanes on a central rotating spindle

tur·bo ['tər-(,)bō] -n

  1. turbine
  2. turbocharger

turbo- -comb form

  1. coupled directly to a driving turbine
    • turbo fan
  2. consisting of or incorporating a turbine
    • turbo jet engine

tur·bo·car ['tər-bō-,kär] -n

  1. an automotive vehicle propelled by a gas turbine

tur·bo·charged [-,chärjd] -adj

  1. equipped with a turbocharger
  2. supercharged esp. with energy, vitality, or tension
    • a giant, turbocharged ego that drove him relentlessly -- Jeff Jarvis

tur·bo·charg·er [-,chär-jər] -n

  1. a centrifugal blower driven by exhaust gas turbines and used to supercharge an engine

tur·bo·elec·tric [,tər-bō-i-'lek-trik] -adj

  1. using or being a turbine generator that produces electricity usu. for motive power

tur·bo·fan ['tər-bō-,fan] -n

  1. a fan that is directly connected to and driven by a turbine and is used to supply air for cooling, ventilation, or combustion
  2. a jet engine having a turbofan

tur·bo·gen·er·a·tor [,tər-bō-'je-nə-,rā-tər] -n

  1. an electric generator driven by a turbine

tur·bo·jet [-,jet] -n

  1. an airplane powered by turbojet engines
  2. turbojet engine

turbojet engine -n

  1. a jet engine in which a turbine drives a compressor that supplies air to a burner and hot gases from the burner drive the turbine before being discharged rearward

tur·bo·ma·chin·ery [,tər-bō-mə-'shēn-rē, -'shē-nə-] -n

  1. machinery consisting of, incorporating, or constituting a turbine

tur·bo·prop ['tər-bō-,präp] -n

  1. turboprop engine
  2. an airplane powered by turboprop engines

turboprop engine -n

  1. a jet engine designed to produce thrust principally by means of a propeller driven by a turbine with additional thrust usu. obtained by the rearward discharge of hot exhaust gases

tur·bo·shaft ['tər-bō-,shaft] -n

  1. a gas turbine engine that is similar in operation to a turboprop engine but instead of being used to power a propeller is used through a transmission system for powering other devices (as helicopter rotors and pumps)

tur·bot ['tər-bət] -n

  1. a large European flatfish ( Psetta maxima) that is a popular food fish and has a brownish upper surface marked with scattered tubercles and a white undersurface
  2. any of various flatfishes (as Scophthalmus maximusor Reinhardtius hippoglossoides) resembling the turbot

tur·bu·lence ['tər-byə-lən(t)s] -n

  1. : the quality or state of being turbulent: as
  2. great commotion or agitation
    • emotional turbulence
  3. irregular atmospheric motion esp. when characterized by up-and-down currents
  4. departure in a fluid from a smooth flow

tur·bu·len·cy [-lən(t)-sē] -n

  1. turbulence

tur·bu·lent [-lənt] -adj, adv

  1. causing unrest, violence, or disturbance
    • a set of mischievous, turbulent rebels -- Anne Bronte
  2. characterized by agitation or tumult : tempestuous
    • a turbulent marriage
  3. exhibiting physical turbulence
    • turbulent air

turbulent flow -n

  1. a fluid flow in which the velocity at a given point varies erratically in magnitude and direction

Tur·co- ['tər-(,)kō] -comb form

  1. Turkic : Turkish : Turk
    • Turco phil
  2. Turkish and
    • Turco- Greek

turd ['tərd] -n

  1. a piece of fecal matter
  2. a contemptible person

tu·reen [tə-'rēn, tyu̇-] -n

  1. a deep and usu. covered bowl from which foods (as soup) are served
  2. casserole

turf ['tərf] -n, adj

  1. the upper stratum of soil bound by grass and plant roots into a thick mat
  2. a piece of this
  3. an artificial substitute for this (as on a playing field)
  4. grass
  5. peat
  6. a piece of peat dried for fuel
  7. a track or course for horse racing
  8. the sport or business of horse racing
  9. territory considered by a teenage gang to be under its control
  10. territory
    • have to play two of the last three games on hostile turf -- Joe Klein
    • in chapter two, the author is on unfamiliar turf
  11. a sphere of activity or influence
    • people who could hurt him on his own foreign-policy turf -- Wall Street Jour.
  12. to cover with turf
  13. to eject forcibly : kick usu. used with out

turf accountant -n

  1. bookmaker

turf·grass ['tərf-,gras] -n

  1. any of various grasses (as Kentucky bluegrass or perennial ryegrass) grown to form turf

turf·man ['tərf-mən] -n

  1. a devotee of horse racing
  2. a person who owns and races horses

turf·ski [-,skē] -n

  1. a short ski with rollers on the bottom that can be used to ski down a grassy slope

turf toe -n

  1. a minor but painful usu. sports-related injury typically involving hyperextension of the big toe that results in spraining or tearing of the ligaments at the joint between the metatarsal and basal phalanx

tur·ges·cent [,tər-'je-sᵊnt] -adj, n

  1. becoming turgid, distended, or inflated : swelling

tur·gid ['tər-jəd] -adj, n, adv

  1. being in a state of distension : swollen, tumid
    • turgid limbs
  2. exhibiting turgor
  3. excessively embellished in style or language : bombastic, pompous
    • turgid prose

tur·gor ['tər-gər, -,gȯr] -n

  1. the normal state of turgidity and tension in living cells
  2. the distension of the protoplasmic layer and wall of a plant cell by the fluid contents

Tu·ring machine ['tu̇r-iŋ-, 'tyu̇r-] -n

  1. a hypothetical computing machine that has an unlimited amount of information storage

tu·ris·ta [tu̇-'rē-stə] -n

  1. traveler's diarrhea

Turk ['tərk] -n

  1. a member of any of numerous Asian peoples speaking Turkic languages who live in a region extending from the Balkans to eastern Siberia and western China
  2. a native or inhabitant of Turkey
  3. muslim
  4. a Muslim subject of the Turkish sultan
  5. a Turkish horse
  6. a Turkish strain of Arab and crossbred horses
  7. a usu. young dynamic person eager for change
  8. young turk

tur·key ['tər-kē] -n

  1. a large No. American gallinaceous bird ( Meleagris gallopavo) that is domesticated in most parts of the world
  2. failure, flop
  3. a theatrical production that has failed
  4. three successive strikes in bowling
  5. a stupid, foolish, or inept person

tur·keycock ['tər-kē-,käk] -n

  1. gobbler
  2. a strutting pompous person

turkey oak -n

  1. a small oak ( Quercus laevis) of the southeastern U.S.
  2. a Eurasian oak ( Q. cerris)

Tur·key red ['tər-kē-] -n

  1. a brilliant durable red produced on cotton by means of alizarin in connection with an aluminum mordant and fatty matter

tur·key shoot ['tər-kē-] -n

  1. a marksmanship contest using a moving target with a turkey offered as a prize

turkey trot -n

  1. a ragtime dance danced with the feet well apart and with a characteristic rise on the ball of the foot followed by a drop upon the heel

turkey vulture -n

  1. an American vulture ( Cathartes aura) with a red head and whitish bill called also turkey buzzard

Turk·ic ['tər-kik] -adj, n

  1. of, relating to, or constituting a family of Altaic languages including Turkish
  2. of or relating to the peoples speaking Turkic
  3. turkish

Turk·ish ['tər-kish] -adj

  1. of, relating to, or characteristic of Turkey, the Turks, or Turkish
  2. turkic

Turkish -n

  1. the Turkic language of the Republic of Turkey

Turkish bath -n

  1. a bath in which the bather passes through a series of steam rooms of increasing temperature and then receives a rubdown, massage, and cold shower

Turkish coffee -n

  1. a sweetened decoction of pulverized coffee

Turkish delight -n

  1. a jellylike or gummy confection usu. cut in cubes and dusted with sugar called also Turkish paste

Turkish towel -n

  1. a towel made of cotton terry cloth

Turk·ism ['tər-,ki-zəm] -n

  1. the customs, beliefs, institutions, and principles of the Turks

Tur·ko·man ['tər-kə-mən] -n, adj

  1. a member of a Turkic-speaking traditionally nomadic people living chiefly in Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, and Iran

Turk's head -n

  1. a turban-shaped knot worked on a rope with a piece of small line

tur·mer·ic ['tər-mə-rik also 'tü-mə- or 'tyü-] -n

  1. an Indian perennial herb ( Curcuma longasyn. C. domestica) of the ginger family with a large aromatic yellow rhizome
  2. the boiled, dried, and usu. ground rhizome of the turmeric plant used as a coloring agent, a flavoring, or a stimulant
  3. a yellow to reddish-brown dyestuff obtained from turmeric

tur·moil ['tər-,mȯi(-ə)l] -n

  1. a state or condition of extreme confusion, agitation, or commotion

turn ['tərn] -vb, adj

  1. to cause to move around an axis or a center : make rotate or revolve
    • turn a wheel
    • turn a crank
  2. to cause to move around so as to effect a desired end (as of locking, opening, or shutting)
    • turn ed the knob till the door opened
  3. to affect or alter the functioning of (as a mechanical device) or the level of (as sound) by such movement
    • turn the oven to 400
    • turn the music to full volume
  4. to execute or perform by rotating or revolving
    • turn handsprings
  5. to twist out of line or shape : wrench
    • had turn ed his ankle
  6. to cause to change position by moving through an arc of a circle
    • turn ed her chair to the fire
  7. to cause to move around a center so as to show another side of
    • turn the page
  8. to cause (as a scale) to move so as to register weight
  9. to revolve mentally : think over : ponder
  10. : to reverse the sides or surfaces of : invert
    • turn pancakes
    • turn the shirt inside out
    : as
  11. to dig or plow so as to bring the lower soil to the surface
    • turn the compost weekly
  12. to make (as a garment) over by reversing the material and resewing
    • turn a collar
  13. to invert feet up and face down (as a character, rule, or slug) in setting type
  14. to reverse or upset the order or disposition of
    • everything was turn ed topsy-turvy
  15. to disturb or upset the mental balance of : derange, unsettle
    • a mind turn ed by grief
  16. to set in another esp. contrary direction
  17. to bend or change the course of : divert
    • a battle that turn ed the tide of history
  18. to cause to retreat
    • used fire hoses to turn the mob
  19. to alter the drift, tendency, or expected result of
  20. to bend a course around or about : round
    • turn ed the corner at full speed
  21. to direct or point (as the face) in a specified way or direction
  22. to present by a change in direction or position
    • turn ing his back to his guests
  23. to bring to bear (as by aiming, pointing, or focusing) : train
    • turn ed the light into the dark doorway
    • turn ed a questioning eye toward her
  24. to direct (as the attention or mind) toward or away from something
  25. to direct the employment of : apply, devote
    • turn ed his skills to the service of humankind
  26. to cause to rebound or recoil
    • turn s their argument against them
  27. to make antagonistic : prejudice
    • turn a child against its mother
  28. to cause to go in a particular direction
    • turn ed our steps homeward
  29. drive, send
    • turn cows to pasture
    • turn ing hunters off his land
  30. to convey or direct out of an inverted receptacle
    • turn the mixture into a baking dish
  31. to make acid or sour
  32. to change the color of (as foliage)
  33. convert, transform
    • turn defeat into victory
  34. translate, paraphrase
  35. to cause to become of a specified nature or appearance
    • turn ed him into a frog
    • embarrassment turn ed her face red
  36. to exchange for something else
    • turn coins into paper money
  37. to cause to defect to another side
  38. to shape esp. in a rounded form by applying a cutting tool while revolving in a lathe
  39. to give a rounded form to by any means
    • turn the heel of a sock
  40. to shape or mold artistically, gracefully, or neatly
    • a well turn ed phrase
  41. : to make a fold, bend, or curve in:
  42. to form by bending
    • turn a lead pipe
  43. to cause (the edge of a blade) to bend back or over : blunt, dull
  44. to keep (as money or goods) moving
  45. to dispose of (a stock) to make room for another
  46. to gain in the course of business
    • turn ing a quick profit
  47. to make use of
    • turn ed her education to advantage
  48. to carry to completion : pull off
    • turn ed a double play
    • turn a deal
  49. to engage in (an act of prostitution)
    • turn tricks
  50. to move around on an axis or through an arc of a circle : rotate
  51. to become giddy or dizzy : spin
    • heights always made his head turn
  52. to have as a decisive factor : hinge
    • the argument turn s on a point of logic
    • the outcome of the game turn ed on an interception
  53. to have a center (as of interest) in something specified
    • the discussion turn ed on the overall worth of the project
  54. to become focused on something specified
    • the conversation turn ed to baseball
  55. to direct one's course
  56. to reverse a course or direction
    • the tide has turn ed
  57. to have a reactive usu. adverse effect
  58. to take a different course or direction
    • turn ed toward home
    • the main road turn s sharply to the right
  59. to change position (as of one's head) so as to face another way
    • everyone turn ed to stare
  60. to face toward or away from someone or something
    • flowers turn toward the light
  61. to change one's attitude or reverse one's course of action to one of opposition or hostility
    • felt the world had turn ed against him
  62. to make a sudden violent assault esp. without evident cause
    • dogs turn ing on their owners
  63. to direct one's attention to or away from someone or something
  64. to change one's religion
  65. to go over to another side or party : defect
  66. to have recourse : refer, resort
    • turn ed to a friend for help
    • turn ed to his notes for the exact figures
  67. to direct one's efforts or activity : devote or apply oneself
    • turn ed to the study of the law
    • turn ed to a life of crime
  68. : to become changed, altered, or transformed
    • the weather turn ed
    : as
  69. to become different
  70. to change color
    • the leaves have turn ed
  71. to become sour, rancid, or tainted
    • the milk had turn ed
  72. to be variable or inconstant
  73. to become mentally unbalanced : become deranged
  74. to pass from one state to another : change
    • water had turn ed to ice
  75. become, grow
    • his hair had turn ed gray
    • the weather turn ed bad
    • just turn ed twenty
  76. to become someone or something specified by change from another state : change into
    • turn pro
    • doctors turn ed authors
  77. to change by the passage of time
    • days turn ed into weeks and months
  78. to become curved or bent (as from pressure)
  79. to become blunted by bending
    • the edge of the knife had turn ed
  80. to operate a lathe
  81. to be stocked and disposed of : change hands
  82. the action or an act of turning about a center or axis : revolution, rotation
  83. any of various rotating or pivoting movements in dancing or gymnastics
  84. : the action or an act of giving or taking a different direction : change of course or posture
    • an illegal left turn
    : as
  85. a drill maneuver in which troops in mass formation change direction without preserving alignment
  86. any of various shifts of direction in skiing
  87. an interruption of a curve in figure skating
  88. deflection, deviation
  89. the action or an act of turning so as to face in the opposite direction : reversal of posture or course
    • an about turn
    • the turn of the tide
  90. a change effected by turning over to another side
    • a turn of the cards
  91. a place at which something turns, turns off, or turns back : bend, curve
  92. a short trip out and back or round about
    • took a turn through the park
  93. an act or deed affecting another esp. when incidental or unexpected
    • one good turn deserves another
  94. a period of action or activity : go, spell
    • took a turn at the piano
  95. a place, time, or opportunity accorded an individual or unit of a series in simple succession or in a scheduled order
    • waiting her turn in line
  96. a period or tour of duty : shift
  97. a short act or piece (as for a variety show)
  98. public appearance : performance
    • makes frequent guest star turn s
  99. an event in any gambling game after which bets are settled
  100. the order of the last three cards in faro used in the phrase call the turn
  101. : something that revolves around a center: as
  102. lathe
  103. a catch or latch for a cupboard or cabinet door operated by turning a handle
  104. a musical ornament consisting of a group of four or more notes that wind about the principal note by including the notes next above and next below
  105. a special purpose or requirement used chiefly in the phrase serve one's turn
  106. an act of changing : alteration, modification
    • a nasty turn in the weather
  107. a change in tendency, trend, or drift
    • hoped for a turn in his luck
    • a turn for the better
    • an unexpected turn of events
  108. the beginning of a new period of time : the time when one period changes to the next
    • the turn of the century
  109. distinctive quality or character
  110. a fashioning of language or arrangement of words : manner of expression
    • skillful turn s of phrase
  111. the shape or mold in which something is fashioned : cast
  112. the state or manner of being coiled or twisted
  113. a single round (as of rope passed about an object or of wire wound on a core)
  114. natural or special ability or aptitude : bent, inclination
    • a turn for logic
    • an optimistic turn of mind
  115. a special twist, construction, or interpretation
    • gave the old yarn a new turn
  116. a disordering spell or attack (as of illness, faintness, or dizziness)
  117. a nervous start or shock
    • snuck up on her and gave her quite a turn
  118. a complete transaction involving a purchase and sale of securities
  119. a profit from such a transaction
  120. turnover
  121. : something turned or to be turned: as
  122. a character or slug inverted in setting type
  123. a piece of type placed bottom up

turn·about ['tərn-ə-,bau̇t] -n

  1. merry-go-round
  2. a change or reversal of direction, trend, policy, role, or character
  3. a changing from one allegiance to another
  4. turncoat, renegade
  5. an act or instance of retaliating
    • turnabout is fair play

turn·around [-,rau̇nd] -n

  1. the process of readying a transport vehicle for departure after its arrival
  2. the time spent in this process
    • a quick turnaround between flights
  3. the action of receiving, processing, and returning something
    • 24-hour turnaround time on most orders
  4. a space permitting the turning around of a vehicle
  5. turnabout
    • a corporate turnaround
  6. turnabout
  7. a jump shot by a player facing away from the basket who turns toward the basket while shooting often used attributively
    • a turnaround jumper

turn around -vi

  1. to act in an abrupt, different, or surprising manner used with and
    • after three years he just turned around and left school
  2. to become changed for the better
  3. to change for the better
    • turned her life around

turn away -vt

  1. deflect, avert
  2. to send away : reject, dismiss
  3. repel
  4. to refuse admittance or acceptance to
  5. to start to go away : depart

turn back -vi

  1. to go in the reverse direction
  2. to stop going forward
  3. to refer to an earlier time or place
  4. to drive back or away
  5. to stop the advance of
  6. to fold back
  7. give back, return

turn·buck·le ['tərn-,bə-kəl] -n

  1. a device that usu. consists of a link with screw threads at both ends, that is turned to bring the ends closer together, and that is used for tightening a rod or stay

turn·coat [-,kōt] -n

  1. one who switches to an opposing side or party
  2. traitor

turn·down ['tərn-'dau̇n] -adj

  1. capable of being turned down
  2. worn turned down
    • a turndown collar
  3. something turned down
  4. an instance of turning something (as a bed sheet) down
    • hotel turndown service
  5. rejection
  6. downturn

turn down -vt

  1. to fold or double down
  2. to turn (a card) face downward
  3. to reduce the height or intensity of by turning a control
    • turn down the radio
  4. to decline to accept : reject
    • turned down the offer
  5. to be capable of being folded or doubled down
    • the collar turns down

turnedon ['tərnd-'ȯn, -'än] -adj

  1. keenly aware of and responsive to what is new and fashionable : hip

turn·er ['tər-nər] -n

  1. one that turns or is used for turning
    • a pancake turner
  2. a person who forms articles with a lathe

tur·ner ['tər-nər, 'tu̇r-] -n

  1. a member of a turnverein : gymnast

Tur·ner's syndrome ['tər-nərz-] -n

  1. a genetically determined condition that is typically associated with the presence of only one complete X chromosome and no Y chromosome and is characterized esp. by a female phenotype with underdeveloped and usu. infertile ovaries and short stature

turn·ery ['tər-nə-rē] -n

  1. the work, products, or shop of a turner

turnin ['tərn-,in] -n

  1. something that turns in or is turned in

turn in -vi

  1. to make an entrance by turning from a road or path
  2. to go to bed
    • turned in early
  3. to deliver up : hand over
    • turned in his badge and quit
  4. to inform on : betray
  5. to deliver to an authority
    • urged the wanted man to turn himself in
  6. to acquit oneself of : put on, produce
    • turned in a good performance

turn·ing ['tər-niŋ] -n

  1. the act or course of one that turns
  2. a place of a change in direction
  3. a forming by use of a lathe
  4. turnery
  5. waste produced in turning

turning point -n

  1. a point at which a significant change occurs

tur·nip ['tər-nəp] -n

  1. : either of two biennial herbs of the mustard family with thick edible roots:
  2. one ( Brassica rapa rapifera) with globular often flattened roots and leaves that are cooked as a vegetable
  3. rutabaga
  4. the root of a turnip
  5. a large pocket watch

turn·key ['tərn-,kē] -n

  1. one who has charge of a prison's keys

turnkey -adj

  1. built, supplied, or installed complete and ready to operate
    • a turnkey nuclear plant
    • a turnkey computer system
  2. of or relating to a turnkey building or installation
    • a turnkey contract
    • turnkey vendors

turn·off ['tərn-,ȯf] -n

  1. a turning off
  2. a place where one turns off
  3. exit
  4. one that causes loss of interest or enthusiasm
    • the music was a turnoff

turn off -vt

  1. dismiss, discharge
  2. to dispose of : sell
  3. deflect, evade
  4. produce, accomplish
  5. to stop the flow of or shut off by or as if by turning a control
    • turn the water off
  6. hang
  7. to remove (material) by the process of turning
  8. to shape or produce by turning
  9. to cause to lose interest : bore
    • economics turns me off
  10. to evoke a negative feeling in
  11. to deviate from a straight course or from a main road
    • turn off into a side road
  12. to turn bad : spoil
  13. to change to a specified state : become
  14. to lose interest : withdraw

turn on ['tərn-,ȯn, -,än] -vt, n

  1. to activate or cause to flow, operate, or function by or as if by turning a control
    • turn the water on full
    • turn on the power
  2. to cause to undergo an intense often visionary experience by taking a drug
  3. to cause to get high
  4. to move pleasurably
    • rock music turns her on
  5. to excite sexually
  6. to cause to gain knowledge or appreciation of something specified
    • turned her on to ballet
  7. to become turned on

turn·out ['tərn-,au̇t] -n

  1. an act of turning out
  2. strike
  3. striker
  4. the number of people who participate in or attend an event
    • a heavy voter turnout
  5. a place where something (as a road) turns out or branches off
  6. a space adjacent to a highway in which vehicles may park or pull into to enable others to pass
  7. a railroad siding
  8. a clearing out and cleaning
  9. a coach or carriage together with the horses, harness, and attendants
  10. equipment, rig
  11. manner of dress : getup
  12. net quantity of produce yielded

turn out -vt

  1. expel, evict
  2. to put (as a horse) to pasture
  3. to turn inside out
    • turning out his pockets
  4. to empty the contents of esp. for cleaning or rearranging
  5. clean
  6. to produce often rapidly or regularly by or as if by machine
    • a writer turning out stories
  7. to equip, dress, or finish in a careful or elaborate way
  8. to put out by or as if by turning a switch
    • turn out the lights
  9. to call (as the guard or a company) out from rest or shelter and into formation
  10. to come or go out from home in or as if in answer to a summons
    • voters turned out in droves
  11. to get out of bed
  12. to prove to be in the result or end
    • the play turned out to be a flop
    • it turned out that we were both wrong
  13. to become in maturity
    • nobody thought he'd turn out like this
  14. end
    • stories that turn out happily

turn·over ['tərn-,ō-vər] -n

  1. an act or result of turning over : upset
  2. a turning from one side, place, or direction to its opposite : shift, reversal
  3. a reorganization with a view to a shift in personnel : shake-up
  4. something that is turned over
  5. a filled pastry made by folding half of the crust over the other half
  6. the amount of business done
  7. the volume of shares traded on a stock exchange
  8. movement (as of goods or people) into, through, and out of a place
  9. a cycle of purchase, sale, and replacement of a stock of goods
  10. the ratio of sales for a stated period to average inventory
  11. the amount received in sales for a stated period
  12. the number of persons hired within a period to replace those leaving or dropped from a workforce
  13. the ratio of this number to the number in the average force maintained
  14. the continuous process of loss and replacement of a constituent (as a cell or tissue) of a living system
  15. the act or an instance of a team's losing possession of a ball through error or a minor violation of the rules (as in basketball or football)

turnover -adj

  1. capable of being turned over

turn over -vt

  1. to turn from an upright position : overturn
  2. rotate
    • turn over a stiff valve with a wrench
  3. to cause (an internal combustion engine) to begin firing
  4. to search (as clothes or papers) by lifting or moving one by one
  5. to read or examine (as a book) slowly or idly
  6. deliver, surrender
    • I'm turning the job over to you
  7. to lose possession of
    • turned the ball over three times
  8. to receive and dispose of (a stock of merchandise)
  9. to do business to the amount of
    • turning over 1000 a week
  10. upset, capsize
  11. rotate
  12. to have crankshaft rotation esp. by external means (as by a starter)
    • the engine turned over but didn't start
  13. to heave with nausea
  14. to seem to leap or lurch convulsively with sudden fright

turn·pike ['tərn-,pīk] -n

  1. tollgate
  2. a road (as an expressway) for the use of which tolls are collected
  3. a road formerly maintained as a turnpike
  4. a main road
  5. a paved highway with a rounded surface

turn·spit [-,spit] -n

  1. one that turns a spit
  2. a small dog formerly used in a treadmill to turn a spit
  3. a roasting jack
  4. a rotatable spit

turn·stile [-,stī(-ə)l] -n

  1. a post with arms pivoted on the top set in a passageway so that persons can pass through only on foot one by one

turn·stone [-,stōn] -n

  1. : either of two shorebirds (genus Arenaria) of the sandpiper family:
  2. a bird ( A. interpres) of worldwide distribution that has black and chestnut upperparts and a black breast
  3. a No. American bird ( A. melanocephala) with black upperparts and breast

turn·ta·ble [-,tā-bəl] -n

  1. : a revolvable platform: as
  2. a platform with a track for turning wheeled vehicles (as locomotives)
  3. lazy susan
  4. a rotating platform that carries a phonograph record

turn to -vi

  1. to apply oneself to work : act vigorously
    • all hands turn to and build a church and a jail -- Mark Twain

turn·up ['tər-'nəp] -adj

  1. turned up
    • a turnup nose
  2. made or fitted to be turned up
    • a turnup collar
  3. something that is turned up

turn up -vt

  1. find, discover
  2. to raise or increase by or as if by turning a control
    • turn up the volume on the radio
  3. to look up (as a word or fact) in a book
  4. to refer to or consult (a book)
  5. to turn (a card) face upward
  6. to appear or come to light unexpectedly or after being lost
    • new evidence has turned up
  7. to turn out to be
    • he turned up missing at roll call
  8. appear
    • her name is always turning up in the newspapers
  9. to arrive or show up at an appointed or expected time or place
    • turned up half an hour late
  10. to happen or occur unexpectedly
    • something always turned up to prevent their meeting
  11. tack

turn·ver·ein ['tərn-və-,rīn, 'tu̇rn-] -n

  1. an athletic club

tu·ro·phile ['tu̇r-ə-,fī(-ə)l, 'tyu̇r-] -n

  1. a connoisseur of cheese : a cheese fancier

tur·pen·tine ['tər-pən-,tīn, 'tər-pᵊm-] -n

  1. a yellow to brown semifluid oleoresin obtained as an exudate from the terebinth
  2. an oleoresin obtained from various conifers (as some pines and firs)
  3. an essential oil obtained from turpentines by distillation and used esp. as a solvent and thinner called also gum turpentine
  4. a similar oil obtained by distillation or carbonization of pinewood called also wood turpentine

turpentine -vt

  1. to apply turpentine to
  2. to extract turpentine from
  3. to tap (pine trees) in order to obtain turpentine

tur·pi·tude ['tər-pə-,tüd, -,tyüd] -n

  1. inherent baseness : depravity
    • moral turpitude
  2. a base act

turps ['tərps] -n pl but sing in constr

  1. turpentine

tur·quoise ['tər-,kȯiz, -,kwȯiz] -n

  1. a mineral that is a blue, bluish-green, or greenish-gray hydrous basic phosphate of copper and aluminum, takes a high polish, and is valued as a gem when skyblue
  2. a light greenish blue

turquoise blue -n

  1. a light greenish blue that is paler and slightly bluer than average turquoise

turquoise green -n

  1. a light bluish green

tur·ret ['tər-ət, 'tə-rət, 'tu̇r-ət] -n

  1. a little tower
  2. an ornamental structure at an angle of a larger structure
  3. a pivoted and revolvable holder in a machine tool
  4. a device (as on a microscope or a television camera) holding several lenses
  5. a tall building usu. moved on wheels and formerly used for carrying soldiers and equipment for breaching or scaling a wall
  6. a gunner's fixed or movable enclosure in an airplane
  7. a revolving armored structure on a warship that protects one or more guns mounted within it
  8. a similar upper structure usu. for one gun on a tank

tur·ret·ed ['tər-ə-təd, 'tə-rə-, 'tu̇r-ə-] -adj

  1. furnished with or as if with turrets
    • a turreted fortress

tur·tle ['tər-tᵊl] -n

  1. turtledove

turtle -n

  1. any of an order (Testudines syn. Chelonia) of terrestrial, freshwater, and marine reptiles that have a toothless horny beak and a shell of bony dermal plates usu. covered with horny shields enclosing the trunk and into which the head, limbs, and tail usu. may be withdrawn
  2. turtleneck

tur·tle·back ['tər-tᵊl-,bak] -n, adj

  1. a raised convex surface

turtle bean -n

  1. black bean

tur·tle·dove [-,dəv] -n

  1. any of several small wild pigeons (genus Streptopeliaand esp. S. turtur) noted for plaintive cooing

turtle grass -n

  1. a submerged monocotyledonous marine plant ( Thalassia testudinumof the family Hydrocharitaceae) of the coasts of Florida and the West Indies having long ribbonlike leaves

tur·tle·head [-,hed] -n

  1. any of a genus ( Chelone) of perennial No. American herbs of the snapdragon family with spikes of showy white or purple flowers

tur·tle·neck [-,nek] -n, adj

  1. a high close-fitting turnover collar used esp. for sweaters
  2. a garment (as a sweater) with a turtleneck

tur·tling ['tərt-liŋ, 'tər-tᵊl-iŋ] -n

  1. the action or process of catching turtles

turves ['tərf] -n, adj

(variant of turf)

  1. the upper stratum of soil bound by grass and plant roots into a thick mat
  2. a piece of this
  3. an artificial substitute for this (as on a playing field)
  4. grass
  5. peat
  6. a piece of peat dried for fuel
  7. a track or course for horse racing
  8. the sport or business of horse racing
  9. territory considered by a teenage gang to be under its control
  10. territory
    • have to play two of the last three games on hostile turf -- Joe Klein
    • in chapter two, the author is on unfamiliar turf
  11. a sphere of activity or influence
    • people who could hurt him on his own foreign-policy turf -- Wall Street Jour.
  12. to cover with turf
  13. to eject forcibly : kick usu. used with out

Tus·can ['təs-kən] -n

  1. a native or inhabitant of Tuscany
  2. the Italian language as spoken in Tuscany
  3. the standard literary dialect of Italian

Tuscan -adj

  1. of or relating to one of the five classical orders of architecture that is of Roman origin and plain in style
  2. of, relating to, or characteristic of Tuscany, the Tuscans, or Tuscan

Tus·ca·ro·ra [,təs-kə-'rȯr-ə] -n

  1. a member of an American Indian people orig. of No. Carolina and later of New York and Ontario
  2. the Iroquoian language of the Tuscarora people

tu·sche ['tüsh, 'tü-shə] -n

  1. a black liquid used in lithography for drawing and painting and in etching and the silk-screen process as a resist

tush ['təsh] -n

  1. a long pointed tooth
  2. a horse's canine
  3. used to express disdain or reproach
  4. buttocks

tusk ['təsk] -n, adj

  1. an elongated greatly enlarged tooth (as of an elephant or walrus) that projects when the mouth is closed and serves esp. for digging food or as a weapon
  2. a long protruding tooth
  3. one of the small projections on a tusk tenon
  4. to dig up with a tusk
  5. to gash with a tusk

tusk·er ['təs-kər] -n

  1. an animal with tusks
  2. a male elephant with two normally developed tusks

tusk tenon -n

  1. a tenon strengthened by one or more smaller tenons underneath forming a steplike outline

tus·sah ['tə-sə, -,sȯ] -n

  1. silk or silk fabric from the brownish fiber produced by larvae of some saturniid moths (as Antheraea paphia)

tus·sive ['tə-siv] -adj

  1. of, relating to, or involved in coughing

tus·sle ['tə-səl] -n

  1. a physical contest or struggle : scuffle
  2. an intense argument, controversy, or struggle

tussle [-s(ə-)liŋ] -vi

  1. to struggle roughly : scuffle

tus·sock ['tə-sək] -n, adj

  1. a compact tuft esp. of grass or sedge
  2. an area of raised solid ground in a marsh or bog that is bound together by roots of low vegetation

tussock grass -n

  1. a grass or sedge that typically grows in tussocks

tussock moth -n

  1. any of numerous dull-colored moths (family Lymantriidae) that usu. have wingless females and larvae with long tufts of hair

tut [a dental or alveolar click; often read as 'tət] -interj

  1. used to express disapproval or disbelief
  2. tut-tut

tu·tee [tü-'tē, tyü-] -n

  1. one who is being tutored

tu·te·lage ['tü-tə-lij, 'tyü-] -n

  1. an act or process of serving as guardian or protector : guardianship
  2. hegemony over a foreign territory : trusteeship
  3. the state of being under a guardian or tutor
  4. instruction esp. of an individual
  5. a guiding influence
    • a business under the tutelage of a new director

tu·te·lar ['tü-tə-lər, 'tyü-, -,är] -adj or n

  1. tutelary

tu·te·lary ['tü-tə-,ler-ē, 'tyü-] -adj

  1. having the guardianship of a person or a thing
    • a tutelary goddess
  2. of or relating to a guardian

tutelary -n

  1. a tutelary power (as a deity)

tu·tor ['tü-tər, 'tyü-] -n

  1. : a person charged with the instruction and guidance of another: as
  2. a private teacher
  3. a teacher in a British university who gives individual instruction to undergraduates

tutor -vt

  1. to have the guardianship, tutelage, or care of
  2. to teach or guide usu. individually in a special subject or for a particular purpose : coach
  3. to do the work of a tutor
  4. to receive instruction esp. privately

tu·tor·age ['tü-tə-rij, 'tyü-] -n

  1. the function or work of a tutor

tu·tor·ess ['tü-tə-rəs, 'tyü-] -n

  1. a woman or girl who is a tutor

tu·to·ri·al [tü-'tȯr-ē-əl, tyü-] -adj

  1. of, relating to, or involving a tutor or a tutorial

tutorial -n

  1. a class conducted by a tutor for one student or a small number of students
  2. a paper, book, film, or computer program that provides practical information about a specific subject

tu·tor·ship ['tü-tər-,ship, 'tyü-] -n

  1. the office, function, or work of a tutor
  2. tutelage

tu·toy·er [tᵫ-twä-'yā] -vt

  1. to address familiarly

Tut·si ['tü-sē, 'tüt-] -n

  1. a member of a people of Rwanda and Burundi prob. of Nilotic origin

tut·ti ['tü-tē, 'tu̇-; 'tü-,tē, 'tu̇-] -adj or adv

  1. with all voices or instruments performing together used as a direction in music

tutti -n

  1. a passage or section performed by all the performers

tut·tifrut·ti [,tü-ti-'frü-tē, ,tu̇-] -n

  1. a confection or ice cream containing chopped usu. candied fruits

tuttut [two alveolar or dental clicks; often read as 'tət-'tət] -interj

  1. tut
  2. to express disapproval or disbelief by or as if by uttering tut
    • editorialists tut-tutted over the recent congressional scandal

tu·tu ['tü-(,)tü] -n

  1. a short projecting skirt worn by a ballerina

tuwhit tuwhoo [tə-,(h)wit-tə-'(h)wü] -n

  1. the cry of an owl

tux ['təks] -n

  1. tuxedo

tux·e·do [,tək-'sē-(,)dō] -n, adj

  1. a men's single-breasted or double-breasted usu. black or blackish-blue jacket
  2. a semiformal evening suit for men

tu·yere [twē-'er] -n

  1. a nozzle through which an air blast is delivered to a forge or blast furnace