Adjacent Words

Turf definitions

	Tweet

Webster's 1828 Dictionary

TURF, n.
1. That upper stratum of earth and vegetable mold, which is filled with the roots of grass and other small plants, so as to adhere and form a kind of mat. This is otherwise called sward and sod.
2. Peat; a peculiar kind of blackish, fibrous, vegetable, earthy substance, used as fuel. [Dryden and Addison wrote turfs, in the plural. But when turf or peat is cut into small pieces, the practice now is to call them turves.]
3. Race-ground; or horse-racing.
The honors of the turf are all our own.
TURF, v.t. To cover with turf or sod; as, to turf a bank or the border of a terrace.
TURF'-COVERED, a. Covered with turf.
TURF'-DRAIN, n. A drain filled with turf or peat.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: surface layer of ground containing a mat of grass and grass roots [syn: turf, sod, sward, greensward]
2: the territory claimed by a juvenile gang as its own
3: range of jurisdiction or influence; "a bureaucracy...chiefly concerned with turf...and protecting the retirement system" v
1: cover (the ground) with a surface layer of grass or grass roots

Merriam Webster's

I. noun (plural turfs; also turves) Etymology: Middle English, from Old English; akin to Old High German zurba turf, Sanskrit darbha tuft of grass Date: before 12th century 1. a. the upper stratum of soil bound by grass and plant roots into a thick mat; also a piece of this b. an artificial substitute for this (as on a playing field) c. grass 3 2. a. peat 2 b. a piece of peat dried for fuel 3. a. a track or course for horse racing b. the sport or business of horse racing 4. a. territory considered by a teenage gang to be under its control b. territory 2 <have to play two of the last three games on hostile turf — Joe Klein> <in chapter two, the author is on unfamiliar turf>; also a sphere of activity or influence <people who could hurt him on his own foreign-policy turf — Wall Street Journal> • turfy adjective II. transitive verb Date: 15th century 1. to cover with turf 2. chiefly British to eject forcibly ; kick — usually used with out

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. & v. --n. (pl. turfs or turves) 1 a a layer of grass etc. with earth and matted roots as the surface of grassland. b a piece of this cut from the ground. 2 a slab of peat for fuel. 3 (prec. by the) a horse-racing generally. b a general term for racecourses. --v.tr. 1 cover (ground) with turf. 2 (foll. by out) esp. Brit. colloq. expel or eject (a person or thing). Phrases and idioms: turf accountant Brit. a bookmaker. Etymology: OE f. Gmc

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Turf Turf, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Turfed; p. pr. & vb. n. Turfing.] To cover with turf or sod; as, to turf a bank, of the border of a terrace. --A. Tucker.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Turf Turf (t[^u]rf), n.; pl. Turfs, Obs. Turves. [AS. turf; akin to D. turf peat, G. torf, OHG. zurba turf, Sw. & Icel. torf turf, peat, Dan. t["o]rv, Skr. darbha a kind of grass, a tuft of grass. [root]242.] 1. That upper stratum of earth and vegetable mold which is filled with the roots of grass and other small plants, so as to adhere and form a kind of mat; sward; sod. At his head a grass-green turf. --Shak. The Greek historian sets her in the field on a high heap of turves. --Milton. 2. Peat, especially when prepared for fuel. See Peat. 3. Race course; horse racing; -- preceded by the. ``We . . . claim the honors of the turf.'' --Cowper. Note: Turf is often used adjectively, or to form compounds which are generally self-explaining; as, turf ashes, turf cutter or turf-cutter, turf pit or turf-pit, turf-built, turf-clad, turf-covered, etc. Turf ant (Zo["o]l.), a small European ant (Formica flava) which makes small ant-hills on heaths and commons. Turf drain, a drain made with turf or peat. Turf hedge, a hedge or fence formed with turf and plants of different kinds. Turf house, a house or shed formed of turf, common in the northern parts of Europe. Turf moss a tract of turfy, mossy, or boggy land. Turf spade, a spade for cutting and digging turf, longer and narrower than the common spade.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(turfs, turfing, turfed) 1. Turf is short, thick, even grass. They shuffled slowly down the turf towards the cliff's edge. N-UNCOUNT: also the N 2. Someone's turf is the area which is most familiar to them or where they feel most confident. Their turf was Paris: its streets, theaters, homes, and parks... = territory N-UNCOUNT: usu poss N

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

n. 1. Sod, sward, greensward. 2. Peat. 3. Race-course, race-ground. 4. Horse-racing.

1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue

On the turf; persons who keep running horses, or attend and bet at horse-races, are said to be on the turf.

Moby Thesaurus

alcohol, ambit, archery ground, area, athletic field, backyard, badminton court, bailiwick, banish, baseball field, basketball court, benzine, billiard parlor, bounce, bowling alley, bowling green, briquette, burnable, butane, carbon, charcoal, coal, coke, combustible, constituency, course, court, cricket ground, croquet ground, croquet lawn, diamond, dismiss, divot, dope, eject, ethane, ethanol, exile, expel, fairway, field, fire, fireball, firing, flammable, flammable material, football field, footing, fuel, fuel additive, fuel dope, gas, gas carbon, gasoline, glaciarium, golf course, golf links, grass, green, greensward, gridiron, gym, gymnasium, heptane, hexane, ice rink, infield, inflammable, inflammable material, isooctane, jet fuel, kerosene, lawn, links, methane, methanol, natural gas, octane, oil, orbit, oust, outfield, oval, paraffin, peat, pentane, playground, playing field, playroom, polo ground, pool hall, poolroom, propane, propellant, putting green, racecourse, racing, racket court, region, rink, rocket fuel, sack, skating rink, soccer field, sod, sphere, sphere of influence, squash court, stamping ground, stretch, sward, tennis court, territory, the turf, throw out, track, vantage