/ tɜːf; NAmE tɜːrf/ noun , verb
■ noun ( pl. turfs or turves / tɜːvz; NAmE tɜːrvz/)
1.
[ U , C ] short grass and the surface layer of soil that is held together by its roots; a piece of this that has been cut from the ground and is used especially for making lawns (= the area of grass in a garden / yard) :
newly laid turf
( especially BrE )
the hallowed turf of Wimbledon, etc. (= the grass used for playing a sport on)
2.
[ U , C ] peat that is cut to be used as fuel; a piece of this
3.
the turf [ sing. ] the sport of horse racing
4.
[ U ] sb's ~ ( informal , especially NAmE ) the place where sb lives and/or works, especially when they think of it as their own :
He feels more confident on home turf .
■ verb
[ vn ] to cover an area of ground with turf
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PHRASAL VERBS
- turf sb out (of sth) | turf sb off (sth)
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WORD ORIGIN
Old English , of Germanic origin; related to Dutch turf and German Torf , from an Indo-European root shared by Sanskrit darbha tuft of grass.