turbo

T1U1R1B3O1
UK/ˈtɜː.bəʊ/US/ˈtɝ.boʊ/Scotland/ˈtʌɹ.bo/

noun

A turbine.

CommonScrabble 7

Meanings

turbo1

nounturbo (countable and uncountable, plural turbos)

plural turbos

  1. countableinformaluncountableA turbine.
  2. abbreviationclippingcountableuncountableClipping of turbocharger.

    Superchargers are generally heavier and more expensive than turbos […]

    2008 February 17, Don Sherman, “More Power? Add Pressure”, in New York Times
  3. abbreviationclippingcountableuncountableClipping of turbojet.
  4. abbreviationclippingcountableuncountableClipping of turbomolecular pump.

turbo2

nounturbo (plural turbos)

plural turbos

  1. video gamesAutofire.

    Controllers with turbo features are banned from most competitive tournaments.

adjectiveturbo (not comparable)
  1. not comparableWith rapidly-increasing blind levels.

    This is a turbo tournament: the blinds increase every 5 minutes! Level 1 = 150/300; level 2 = 200/400; etc.

  2. not comparablecomputingCausing or relating to increased speed.

    a turbo button on a controller; a PC equipped with a turbo mode

  3. informalnonstandardnot comparableVery, super, etc.; usually relating to a qualitative value (as opposed to quantitative).

    They act turbo wasted when they have more than a few beers in them.

verbturbo (third-person singular simple present turbos, present participle turboing, simple past and past participle turboed)

present singular third person turbos · participle present turboing · participle past turboed · past turboed

  1. video gamesTo autofire.

turbo3

nounturbo (plural turbos)

plural turbos

  1. biologyA turban shell.

Synonyms & antonyms

Origin

turbo · noun, adjective, verb

From turbocharged (“increased power”). Also figurative, from the action of a turbocharger, which increases the speed of an automobile through the increase in power of an engine.

Full word history & related roots →

turbo · noun

From the New Latin name of the genus Turbo.

Full word history & related roots →

Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

Cite this entry
APA

turbo. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/turbo

MLA

“turbo.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/turbo. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “turbo,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/turbo.

Source: turbo on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.