Definition of "turnkey" []

• The keeper of the keys in a prison; a jailer. (noun)
• Supplied, installed, or purchased in a condition ready for immediate use, occupation, or operation: a turnkey computer system; a turnkey housing project. (adjective)
• Of or relating to something supplied, installed, or purchased in this manner: a turnkey agreement. (adjective)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "He promotes his services at dealer trade shows, selling what he calls a "turnkey" operation with contracts, software and insurance for used-car leasing."
• "INDEXED shirts = adventures in turnkey capitalism."
• "In my impatience I called the turnkey, who told me that, after questioning the clerk of the prison, she had gone away again."