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
The 360-acre preserve adjacent to the LEC and Deltona Regional Library is home to a variety of wildlife, including Florida scrub jays and gopher tortoises, which are drawn to the low vegetation and sandy ridges of the scrub habitat.
—
Joe Rassel, The Orlando Sentinel, 25 June 2025
Found natively in Ecuador's Galapagos Islands, wild populations of the tortoise have suffered sharp declines because of human exploitation and invasive species introduction.
—Hollie Silverman, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 June 2025
In Aesop’s fable, the turtle (traditionally called a tortoise, which is a type of turtle) is a winner, a perpetual underdog who defeats the arrogant hare.
—A.o. Scott, New York Times, 13 June 2025
Wildlife crossing projects for red wolves in North Carolina and Nevada tortoises are among $126 million in federal infrastructure grants to 17 states that U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy finalized from a backlog of 3,200 incomplete Biden-era grants.
—Noël Fletcher, Forbes.com, 15 May 2025
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Joe Rassel, The Orlando Sentinel, 25 June 2025
Found natively in Ecuador's Galapagos Islands, wild populations of the tortoise have suffered sharp declines because of human exploitation and invasive species introduction.
—Hollie Silverman, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 June 2025
In Aesop’s fable, the turtle (traditionally called a tortoise, which is a type of turtle) is a winner, a perpetual underdog who defeats the arrogant hare.
—A.o. Scott, New York Times, 13 June 2025
Wildlife crossing projects for red wolves in North Carolina and Nevada tortoises are among $126 million in federal infrastructure grants to 17 states that U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy finalized from a backlog of 3,200 incomplete Biden-era grants.
—Noël Fletcher, Forbes.com, 15 May 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 4 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
tortoise
noun
tor·toise
ˈtȯrt-əs 
: turtle entry 2
especially
: a land-dwelling turtle
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