Skip to the word

Added 9 October 2026

turnpike

/ˈtɜː(ɹ)npaɪk/ noun

noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about turnpike at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

(from 16th to 19th centuries) gates set across a road to prevent passage until a toll had been paid.
An expressway on which tolls are collected.

Origin

From Middle English turnpyke (“spiked barrier across a road”), originally used to block access to such a road until a toll was paid. Equivalent to modern turn + pike (“shaft”).

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

Back to today's word