sea turtle

American  

noun

1. any of several large turtles of the families Cheloniidae and Dermochelyidae, widely distributed in tropical and subtropical seas, having the limbs modified into paddlelike flippers: all sea turtles are either threatened or endangered through most of their range because of ocean pollution.

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Etymology

Origin of sea turtle

First recorded in 1670–80

Example Sentences

The film cuts to a hummingbird sipping nectar from a flower on a cactus, a sea turtle floating over a coral reef, pink flamingos on a green lake, a snowflake, a butterfly.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 16, 2026

In total, more than 2,000 marine species have been recorded in the warm Gulf waters, including over 500 fish species and five types of sea turtles, among them the critically endangered hawksbill sea turtle.

From Barron's • Mar. 17, 2026

Study co-author is Abbey M. Appelt, a graduate of the FAU Department of Biological Sciences and a sea turtle nesting specialist at Ecological Associates, Inc., a South Florida environmental consulting firm.

From Science Daily • Nov. 24, 2025

After three months of recovery, the green sea turtle returned to the wild Friday.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 19, 2025

“Noah, what you did back there for that sea turtle, that was very . . .” “Dumb? I know.”

From "Flush" by Carl Hiaasen