turret

[ tur-it, tuhr- ]
See synonyms for turret on Thesaurus.com
noun
  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.

  1. Also called tur·ret·head [tur-it-hed, tuhr-]. /ˈtɜr ɪtˌhɛd, ˈtʌr-/. 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.

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

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

Origin of turret

1
1300–50; Middle English turet<Middle French turete, equivalent to turtower1 + -ete-et

Other words from turret

  • tur·ret·less, adjective

Words Nearby turret

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use turret in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for turret

turret

/ (ˈtʌrɪt) /


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

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

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

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

  2. (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

Origin of turret

1
C14: from Old French torete, from tor tower, from Latin turris

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