What does turnstile mean?
Word: Turnstile
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Turnstile means a gate with arms that turn round, letting people through one at a time, for example at the entrance to a station or a sports ground.
Word origin: Formed in English in the late Middle Ages from turn and stile, an old word for steps over a fence that goes back to Old English stigel.
How do you spell turnstile?
Syllables: turn - stile
Tricky part: The second half sounds exactly like style, but it is a different word: a stile is a set of steps for climbing over a fence. Turnstyle is the slip to watch for.
Watch out for: turnstyle, turnstil
Memory tip: Farmers put a stile in a fence so walkers can cross one at a time; a turnstile does the same job at a station gate, which is why it keeps the i.
Turnstile in a sentence
Example 1: We tapped our metro cards and walked through the turnstile one by one.
Example 2: Fans queued at the stadium turnstiles an hour before kick-off.
Example 3: The zoo counts its visitors with a turnstile at the main gate.
Fun Fact
Many sports grounds count their crowds with turnstiles, so the attendance figure announced during a match can come straight from the clicks at the gates.
Practise the CREST Way
Spellacadabra
Choose the correct option to make a meaningful word:
t_ _nstile
a) or
b) ur
c) ir
d) er
Show answer
b) ur. The first part is the everyday word for going round, spelt ur as in burn.
Spell Spies
Choose the pair which has a spelling error:
a) turnstile : stadium
b) runway : airport
c) platform : station
d) escalater : shopping centre
Show answer
d) escalater : shopping centre. Escalator ends in or, like elevator; the other three pairs are spelt correctly.
Word Champ
In which option are the given words arranged in alphabetical order?
1. turnstile 2. turnover 3. turntable 4. turnout
a) 4213
b) 4123
c) 4231
d) 2413
Show answer
a) 4213. After the shared turn, the next letters are o-u, o-v, s and t, which gives turnout, turnover, turnstile, turntable.
Sound Check
In which word is 'st' pronounced differently?
a) castle
b) poster
c) mistake
d) turnstile
Show answer
a) castle. The t in castle is silent, so only the s is heard; the other three say both letters.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. In which sentence is turnstile used correctly?
a) She wound the turnstile of the old clock every Sunday evening.
b) The turnstile on the roof showed which way the wind was blowing.
c) We pushed through the turnstile at the entrance to the water park.
d) Grandpa climbed the turnstile in the field to reach the footpath.
Show answer
c) We pushed through the turnstile at the entrance to the water park.
2. Which of these does the same job as a turnstile?
a) a waiting room
b) a timetable board
c) a ticket barrier
d) a luggage trolley
Show answer
c) a ticket barrier
