turtle
1any reptile of the order Testudines, comprising aquatic and terrestrial species having the trunk enclosed in a shell consisting of a dorsal carapace and a ventral plastron.
(not used technically) an aquatic turtle as distinguished from a terrestrial one.: Compare tortoise (def. 1).
to catch turtles, especially as a business.
Idioms about turtle
turn turtle,
Nautical. to capsize or turn over completely in foundering.
to overturn; upset: Several of the cars turned turtle in the course of the race.
Origin of turtle
1Other words from turtle
- turtler, noun
Other definitions for turtle (2 of 2)
a turtledove.
Origin of turtle
2Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use turtle in a sentence
Turtles, fish, ospreys and rare freshwater sharks and sawfish thrive there.
China’s Nicaragua Canal Could Spark a New Central America Revolution | Nina Lakhani | November 30, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTBut to some people, those ninjutsu-proficient teen-turtles also meant nefarious liberal propaganda.
A Political History of the ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles’ | Asawin Suebsaeng | August 6, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtles means a lot of things to a lot of people.
A Political History of the ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles’ | Asawin Suebsaeng | August 6, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTLike any massively successful property, the Turtles eventually began influencing its audience in unsuspecting ways.
How the ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles’ Inadvertently Caused an Environmental Crisis | Alex Suskind | August 5, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTFirst, Secret World teamed with the British Chelonia Group, an organization dedicated to the care and conservation of turtles.
How the ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles’ Inadvertently Caused an Environmental Crisis | Alex Suskind | August 5, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Elmer Spiker interrupted to inquire whether the turtles I had seen were "black-legs, red-legs, or yaller-legs."
The Soldier of the Valley | Nelson LloydThere they were, hunched down under the robe, their heads drawn into their collars like two turtles half asleep on a mud bank.
Cabin Fever | B. M. BowerSo small a number of people, he said, might easily subsist by catching fish and turtles.
The History of England from the Accession of James II. | Thomas Babington MacaulayWe afterwards killed a hawks-bill turtle and two small green turtles, the flesh of which was kept for the cabin table.
In the Wilds of Florida | W.H.G. KingstonThey were shaped like small turtles with heads pulled out at both ends.
Gardens of the Caribbees, v. 1/2 | Ida May Hill Starr
British Dictionary definitions for turtle (1 of 2)
/ (ˈtɜːtəl) /
any of various aquatic chelonian reptiles, esp those of the marine family Chelonidae, having a flattened shell enclosing the body and flipper-like limbs adapted for swimming: Related adjectives: chelonian, testudinal
US and Canadian any of the chelonian reptiles, including the tortoises and terrapins
nautical a zip bag made as part of a spinnaker for holding the sail so that it can be set rapidly
turn turtle to capsize
(intr) to catch or hunt turtles
Origin of turtle
1Derived forms of turtle
- turtler, noun
British Dictionary definitions for turtle (2 of 2)
/ (ˈtɜːtəl) /
an archaic name for turtledove
Origin of turtle
2Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Other Idioms and Phrases with turtle
see turn turtle.
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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