turnkey

[ turn-kee ]

noun

, plural turn·keys.

1. a person who has charge of the keys of a prison; jailer.

adjective

1. Also turn-key. of, relating to, or resulting from an arrangement under which a private contractor designs and constructs a project, building, etc., for sale when completely ready for occupancy or operation:

   turn-key housing, turnkey contract.

2. fully equipped; ready to go into operation:

   a turnkey business.

turnkey

/ ˈtɜːnˌkiː /

noun

1. archaic.
   a keeper of the keys, esp in a prison; warder or jailer

adjective

1. denoting a project, as in civil engineering, in which a single contractor has responsibility for the complete job from the start to the time of installation or occupancy

Word History and Origins

Origin of turnkey¹

First recorded in 1645–55; turn + key ¹

Example Sentences

The higher membership fees will help the organization “make programs easier to deliver for volunteers and make technology easier to use… more turnkey trainings, recruitment tools and programs, and create new experiences, including opportunities to explore new places,” Bonnie Barczykowski, Girl Scouts of the USA CEO, said in a previous video addressed to members.

From Salon

Ramirez isn’t expecting rates to drop soon and thinks buying when they did reduced the likelihood of bidding wars on their turnkey, four-bedroom house with a swimming pool and mountain view.

From Seattle Times

The simplicity of the "all in one" microcomb laser results in lower power demands, lower costs, high tunability, and a turnkey operation.

From Science Daily

When we last checked in with Caltech's Kerry Vahala three years ago, his lab had recently reported the development of a new optical device called a turnkey frequency microcomb that has applications in digital communications, precision time keeping, spectroscopy, and even astronomy.

From Science Daily

Turnkey did not detect any major red flags during its vetting, which made it surprising to some at USC when questions were raised about Bohn’s behavior while leading the department.

From Los Angeles Times