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Definition of "tortoise" []

  • Any of various terrestrial turtles, especially one of the family Testudinidae, characteristically having thick clublike hind limbs and a high, rounded carapace. (noun)
  • Chiefly British A terrestrial or freshwater chelonian. (noun)
  • One that moves slowly; a laggard. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "tortoise" in a sentence
  • "Timothy the tortoise is a splendid social critic, a keen-eyed anthropologist who sees far beyond his shell."
  • ""When the shell first became a matter of commerce, it was supposed that the turtle and the tortoise were the same, and the name tortoise being much older than turtle, the former appellation remained in designating the shell.""
  • "The giant tortoise is indigenous to the Galapagos Islands, and is also endangered."