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

Concerted efforts have been made to breed these tortoises in captivity over the past several decades, with more than 10,000 juveniles released to the wild since 1965, according to the Galapagos Conservancy. —Jaimie Ding, Fortune, 25 Nov. 2025

That's no longer allowed, but the experience inspired her to keep a small desert tortoise as a pet and learn more about tortoise conservation. —CBS News, 25 Nov. 2025

In addition to Black’s lovable Po, the film also introduced Dustin Hoffman as the wise but hard-nosed Master Shifu and Randall Duk Kim as Grand Master Oogway, a tortoise with no shortage of sage advice. —Skyler Trepel, Entertainment Weekly, 25 Nov. 2025

The Galápagos tortoise also lived through a lot of history, all while representing her species. —Bailey Richards, PEOPLE, 25 Nov. 2025

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