box turtle

noun

1

: any of several North American land turtles (genus Terrapene) capable of withdrawing into their shell and closing it by hinged joints in the lower half

called also box tortoise

2

: any of several chiefly semiaquatic, Asian turtles (genera Cuora and Pyxidea of the family Geoemydidae) that have a carapace with a median keel and are capable of withdrawing into their shell and closing it by hinged joints in the plastron

Note: The Asian box turtles are not closely related to the North American box turtles.

Illustration of box turtle

Examples of box turtle in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Rats, squirrels, deer, box turtles, wild turkeys, and wild boars, just to name a few that might be visiting your yard, all love mushrooms. —Joan Morris, Mercury News, 26 Jan. 2026

Similarly, Fort Worth’s zoo has brought its endangered Pan’s box turtles inside, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported. —Jackie Flynn Mogensen, Scientific American, 23 Jan. 2026

Leone has more of the same planned for her, and hopes to eventually build a little box turtle colony for Rockalina. —Alina Hartounian, NPR, 12 Dec. 2025

Birds, box turtles, salamanders, toads, frogs, and scores of beloved invertebrates such as fireflies, bees, butterflies, and moths, all rely on leaf litter for shelter. —Anne Readel, Better Homes & Gardens, 3 Oct. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1804, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for box turtle

• fertile
• hurtle
• kirtle
• myrtle
• infertile

Kids Definition

box turtle

noun

: any of several North American land turtles able to withdraw completely into the shell and to close it by hinged joints in the lower shell