tortoise

noun

tor·​toise ˈtȯr-təs 

1

: any of a family (Testudinidae) of terrestrial turtles

broadly : turtle

2

: someone or something regarded as slow or laggard

Examples of tortoise in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

There were no cosmonauts aboard, but there were several smaller vertebrates — including the first two tortoises to ever go to space! — Tariq Malik, Space.com, 15 Sep. 2026

Galapagos tortoises live so long that one of them hobbling around today could have encountered Charles Darwin in 1835. — Venki Ramakrishnan, Scientific American, 15 Sep. 2026

McGuire rediscovered the original diagram during a visit to founding chair Rick Ridgeway’s California tortoise sanctuary. — Jasmin Malik Chua, Footwear News, 15 Sep. 2026

The crew took small tortoises aboard the ship to keep as pets. — Michele Metych Britannica Editors Sep. 14, Encyclopedia Britannica, 14 Sep. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English tortu, tortuse, from Anglo-French tortue — more at turtle

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing tortoise

• desert tortoise
• giant tortoise
• tortoise beetle

Rhymes for tortoise

• fortis
• mortis
• abortus

Kids Definition

tortoise

noun

tor·​toise ˈtȯrt-əs 

: turtle entry 2

especially : a land-dwelling turtle