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
Two tortoises taken from the Indianapolis Zoo have been found and were unharmed, Indiana State Police said.
—
Jen Guadarrama, IndyStar, 29 Oct. 2025
Two critically endangered tortoises reported stolen from the Indianapolis Zoo have been safely recovered, zoo officials announced Tuesday.
—Meredith Deliso, ABC News, 28 Oct. 2025
Anyone with any further information about the two tortoises' thefts should contact the Capitol Police at (317) 234-2131, or Crime Stoppers of Central Indiana at (317) 262-TIPS (8477).
—Rachel Raposas, PEOPLE, 28 Oct. 2025
Kurma is a tortoise and represents endurance, patience and cosmic time.
—Sofia Celeste, Footwear News, 22 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for tortoise
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Jen Guadarrama, IndyStar, 29 Oct. 2025
Two critically endangered tortoises reported stolen from the Indianapolis Zoo have been safely recovered, zoo officials announced Tuesday.
—Meredith Deliso, ABC News, 28 Oct. 2025
Anyone with any further information about the two tortoises' thefts should contact the Capitol Police at (317) 234-2131, or Crime Stoppers of Central Indiana at (317) 262-TIPS (8477).
—Rachel Raposas, PEOPLE, 28 Oct. 2025
Kurma is a tortoise and represents endurance, patience and cosmic time.
—Sofia Celeste, Footwear News, 22 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for tortoise
Cite this Entry
“Tortoise.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tortoise. Accessed 30 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
tortoise
noun
tor·toise
ˈtȯrt-əs 
: turtle entry 2
especially
: a land-dwelling turtle
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