English Reference
noun · verb

turd

n. · v.
UK /tˈɜːd/ turd UK spelling turds

  1. 01 C2 Proficiency InformalVulgar

    n.a piece of solid waste that leaves the body after digesting food.

    n.a piece of solid excrement.

    Simple

    The dog left a turd right in the middle of the sidewalk.

    In context

    The hiker was annoyed to find a large turd on the trail, clearly left by a pet whose owner had neglected to clean up.

  2. 02 C2 Proficiency HumorousInformalSlangVulgar

    n.a rude name for a person who is mean, annoying, or worthless.

    n.a contemptible or highly unpleasant person. Used as a mild to moderate pejorative depending on the social context.

    Simple

    Don't be such a turd and just help me move this table.

    In context

    He acted like a total turd during the meeting, constantly interrupting others and dismissing their valid concerns.

  3. 03 C2 Proficiency InformalSlangVulgar

    n.something that is poor quality or does not work well.

    n.an object of very poor quality or one that is considered worthless.

    Simple

    This old car is a turd; it breaks down every single week.

    In context

    The critics dismissed the new software as a turd, citing its frequent crashes and unintuitive user interface.

    piece of junklemon
  4. 04 C2 Proficiency SlangVulgar

    v.to pass waste from the body.

    v.to defecate. Rare in modern usage compared to the noun form.

    Simple

    The cat turded on the rug while we were out of the house.

    In context

    The stray dog had turded in the corner of the alleyway before scurrying off into the shadows.

    poopdefecate

From Middle English toord, tord, from Old English tord (“piece of dung, excrement, filth”), from Proto-West Germanic tord, from Proto-Germanic turdą (“manure, mud”), from Proto-Indo-European *der- (“to split, flay”). Cognate with Old English tyrdel (“dropping, small piece of excrement”), Old High German zort (“dung, excrement”), Old Norse torð- (“dung-”, in compounds), Middle Dutch tord (“lump of excrement”). More at tear, treddle.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This entry
Origin ine-pro *der-
Level C2 · Proficiency
Frequency Occasional
Updated