Pronunciations
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/ˈtɜː(ɹ)nˌkiː/
Adjective
Ready to use without further assembly or test; supplied in a state that is ready to turn on and operate (typically refers to an assembly that is outsourced for manufacture).
- Examples
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They wanted a turnkey solution for the entire system, but we could only provide the enclosure.
Third World countries no longer want to purchase nuclear projects on a turn-key basis; they want to receive advanced technical training as well.
More examples (1)
He cautioned that the house “is not turnkey,” and that because it is “so unusual,” it may take a while to sell. But, he added, “It’s a joy to be selling a property with its history.”
Noun
A system that is supplied ready to switch on and operate.
- Examples
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The hardware-software costs are packaged together. Turnkeys are either special purpose (e.g., only for one function such as libraries) or general purpose […]
A warder or jailer; a keeper of the keys in a prison.
Usage- Dated
- Synonyms
- Examples
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He saw the same Turnkey unfetter a man / With but little expedition, / Which put him in mind of the long debate / On the Slave-trade abolition.
More examples (1)
[…]they passed through an open door into a lobby, from which a heavy gate, opposite to that by which they had entered, and which was guarded by a stout turnkey with the key in his hand, led at once into the interior of the prison.
'Certainly not,' said the turnkey; and the first corroborated his statement.
More examples (1)
"If you want to know who his gaolers are—the actual ones—Nat Lee and his daughter. But—there'll be somebody behind them. They're only turnkeys, as it were."
Verb
To supply a turnkey product; to supply something fully assembled and ready to use.
Usage- Transitive
- Examples
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We can sell you all the parts, or we can turnkey the entire unit.
Noun
someone who guards prisoners
- Broader terms