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turnpike

noun · verb

Simple meaning

A gate or bar set across a road to stop carriages, animals, and sometimes people, until a toll is paid.

Pronunciation

Say it like this:

turnpyk

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US device voice
IPA pronunciation (US)

ˈtɝnpaɪk

This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.

IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.

Word Review

Definition

Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.

noun

  1. A gate or bar set across a road to stop carriages, animals, and sometimes people, until a toll is paid.

  2. from 16th to 19th centuries

    Gates set across a road to prevent passage until a toll had been paid

  3. chiefly us

    A toll road, especially a toll expressway.

  4. A frame consisting of two bars crossing each other at right angles and turning on a post or pin, to hinder the passage of animals, but admitting a person to pass between the arms.

verb

  1. To form (a road, etc.) in the manner of a turnpike road, or into a rounded form, as the path of a road.

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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.