turtling

American  

[tur-tuhl-ing] / ˈtɜr təl ɪŋ /

noun

1. the practice of avoiding conflict by withdrawing or retreating, or by confining oneself to defensive action as opposed to taking the initiative to engage.

2. the act or practice of fishing or hunting for turtles.

3. the act or practice of sitting or kneeling with the torso curved inward and the head lowered.

4. the act or practice of moving or acting at a very slow pace.

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

turtling

At the last second, both instead ducked for cover, turtling with their arms around their heads.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 26, 2025

Far Tortuga is a treatise on turtling, an account of the dying days of sailing ships on unspoiled waters, and a history of a locale that winter tourists tripping through the Caribbean rarely see.

From Time Magazine Archive

In the afternoon, the boats and turtling party, at the S.E. part of the island, all returned on board, except a seaman belonging to the Discovery, who had been missing two days.

From A General History and Collection of Voyages and Travels, Volume 16 by Kerr, Robert

Last Friday a small turtling schooner arrived from the Windward Passages, reporting that they had seen a wreck ashore near Tête de Chien on the island of Tortuga, off the north-west coast of Saint Domingo.

From A Middy of the King A Romance of the Old British Navy by Hodgson, Edward S.

She has to procure nearly all the food for herself and husband, except during the turtling season, and on other occasions when the men are astir.

From Narrative of the Voyage of H.M.S. Rattlesnake, Commanded By the Late Captain Owen Stanley, R.N., F.R.S. Etc. During the Years 1846-1850. Including Discoveries and Surveys in New Guinea, the Louisiade Archipelago, Etc. to Which Is Added the Account of Mr. E.B. Kennedy's Expedition for the Exploration of the Cape York Peninsula. By John Macgillivray, F.R.G.S. Naturalist to the Expedition. — Volume 2 by MacGillivray, John