plural turtles also turtle
often attributive
: any of an order (Testudines synonym Chelonia) of terrestrial, freshwater, and marine reptiles that have a toothless horny beak and a shell of bony dermal plates usually covered with horny shields enclosing the trunk and into which the head, limbs, and tail usually may be withdrawn
archaic
Examples of turtle in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Literary Hub, 19 Sep. 2025
The paper combined spatial data about the distribution of jaguars with maps of the key rivers for freshwater species, including river dolphins, turtles and migratory fish (note that several of the study authors are colleagues of mine at WWF).
—Jeff Opperman, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2025
But Florida is a nesting destination for endangered or threatened sea turtles, including loggerheads, green turtles, leatherbacks and Kemp’s Ridley turtles, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission reports.
—Mark Price, Miami Herald, 18 Sep. 2025
When a mysterious toy company seeks to profit off the turtles’ new hero status, the brothers follow the clues to New Jersey and make a shocking discovery.
—Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 18 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for turtle
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Noun
The turtle is large and old and must have walked from some farther water toward this new and righteous, riotous place.
—Literary Hub, 19 Sep. 2025
The paper combined spatial data about the distribution of jaguars with maps of the key rivers for freshwater species, including river dolphins, turtles and migratory fish (note that several of the study authors are colleagues of mine at WWF).
—Jeff Opperman, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2025
But Florida is a nesting destination for endangered or threatened sea turtles, including loggerheads, green turtles, leatherbacks and Kemp’s Ridley turtles, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission reports.
—Mark Price, Miami Herald, 18 Sep. 2025
When a mysterious toy company seeks to profit off the turtles’ new hero status, the brothers follow the clues to New Jersey and make a shocking discovery.
—Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 18 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for turtle
Cite this Entry
“Turtle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/turtle. Accessed 22 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
turtle
1 of 2 noun
tur·tle
ˈtərt-ᵊl 
archaic
turtle
2 of 2 noun
plural turtles also turtle
: any of an order of land, freshwater, and marine reptiles with a toothless horny beak and a bony shell which encloses the body and into which the head, legs, and tail usually may be withdrawn
Etymology
Noun
Old English turtla "turtledove," from Latin turtur (same meaning)
Noun
derived from French tortue "tortoise, turtle," from Latin tartaruchus "of Tartarus (part of Hades reserved for the wicked)," from Greek tartarouchos (same meaning)
Medical Definition
turtle
noun
tur·tle
ˈtərt-ᵊl
plural turtles also turtle
often attributive
: any of an order (Testudines) of terrestrial, freshwater, and marine reptiles that have a toothless horny beak and a shell of bony dermal plates usually covered with horny shields enclosing the trunk and into which the head, limbs, and tail usually may be withdrawn
called also chelonian
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share