turf

[tɜːf]

[tɝf]

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An area of land where people play sports like football or rugby is called turf. You might also hear someone say they have a piece of turf at their house, which means a small patch of grass.

Turf can refer to an area for playing certain sports, but it's more commonly used to talk about the actual grass itself. If you've ever been to a park or a backyard with a nice lawn, that's basically what people mean when they say "turf." Some companies even sell artificial turf, which is fake grass made to look and feel like the real thing. This type of turf can be useful for homes or schools because it doesn't need watering or mowing.

How common is "turf"?

Word turf is considered uncommon in modern English.
It has a balanced usage among all categories: speech, fiction, newspapers and academic texts.

Definitions

noun

A layer of earth covered with grass; sod.
A piece of such a layer cut from the soil. May be used as sod to make a lawn, dried for peat, stacked to form earthen structures, etc.
A sod of peat used as fuel.
The territory claimed by a person, gang, etc. as their own.
(with "the") A racetrack; or the sport of racing horses.

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verb

To cover with turf; to create a lawn by laying turfs.
(Ultimate Frisbee) To throw a frisbee well short of its intended target, usually causing it to hit the ground within 10 yards of its release.
To fire from a job or dismiss from a task.
Example: Eight managers were turfed after the merger of the two companies.
To cancel a project or product.
Example: The company turfed the concept car because the prototype performed poorly.
To expel, eject, or throw out; to turf out.
To transfer or attempt to transfer (a patient or case); to eschew or avoid responsibility for.

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Real examples of "turf" in context

Saul Blatantly Disrespects Heisenberg | Mandala | Breaking Bad

Movie part

Some kind of turf dispute.

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