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Glite Dictionary
turn indicator

turn indicator

1 2.3
A blinking light on a car that shows which way it will turn
  • noun
  • /tɜrn ˈɪndɪˌkeɪtər/
  • UK
translation icon : intermitente
  • Always check that your turn indicator is functioning before driving to ensure safe lane changes.

Examples

  • The driver signaled his lane change with the turn indicator to alert the other vehicles.

  • A blinking turn indicator on the car ahead of you, for example, is only light stimuli.

    Academic text (1990)

  • None of them felt like cruising the city after last weekend when they'd been pulled over and ticketed for driving too slowly and for "improper use of a turn indicator."

    Fiction book (2002)

  • The motorcycle's turn indicator flashed brightly, signaling its intention to turn left at the intersection.

Synonyms

blinker
vsturn indicator
  • US
11 3.2

A light on a car that flashes to show which way it will turn

is the neutral formal term used in official or general contexts
turn signal
vsturn indicator
  • US
7 2.5

A flashing light on a vehicle that shows which way the driver will turn or change lanes

focuses on indicating direction specifically rather than lane changes
trafficator
vsturn indicator
  • Archaic
9.0

A small blinking light on a car that shows which way it is about to turn

is the common everyday term rather than the technical name

Surface Forms

turn indicator singular
turn indicators plural
turn signals plural
direction indicators plural
turn signal singular
direction indicator singular

Morphology

turn + indicator

The meaning 'a blinking light that shows which direction a vehicle will turn' is directly and compositionally derived from 'turn' (an act of turning) + 'indicator' (a device or signal). This noun+noun compound follows a common, transparent pattern found across many languages and in everyday traffic vocabulary, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents would readily infer the meaning.

Etymology

Turn indicator comes from the simple image of a light that indicates a turn: a small blinking arrow or lamp on a car that points the way the driver will go. So, it now means 'a blinking light on a vehicle that shows which direction the vehicle plans to turn'.