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, Orlando Sentinel, 19 Feb. 2025
The national seashore is made up of a series of parks, beaches, and islands, split between Florida and Mississippi, and all surrounded by clear, aqua-blue waters that are home to gopher tortoises, bottlenose dolphins, starfish, crabs…and the 300 species of birds that migrate through the area.
—Graham Averill, Outside Online, 4 Feb. 2025
Caitlin Doran documented her escape from the fast-growing fire with her 175-pound tortoise on social media Wednesday night.
—James Powel, USA TODAY, 9 Jan. 2025
The signature experience might well be the resort’s Under the Sea Lagoon—a 500,000-gallon habitat with 40 stingrays, over 2,800 local reef fish, and two giant Aldabra tortoises.
—Katie Kelly Bell, Forbes, 23 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for tortoise 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Joe Rassel, Orlando Sentinel, 19 Feb. 2025
The national seashore is made up of a series of parks, beaches, and islands, split between Florida and Mississippi, and all surrounded by clear, aqua-blue waters that are home to gopher tortoises, bottlenose dolphins, starfish, crabs…and the 300 species of birds that migrate through the area.
—Graham Averill, Outside Online, 4 Feb. 2025
Caitlin Doran documented her escape from the fast-growing fire with her 175-pound tortoise on social media Wednesday night.
—James Powel, USA TODAY, 9 Jan. 2025
The signature experience might well be the resort’s Under the Sea Lagoon—a 500,000-gallon habitat with 40 stingrays, over 2,800 local reef fish, and two giant Aldabra tortoises.
—Katie Kelly Bell, Forbes, 23 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for tortoise
Dictionary Entries Near tortoise
Cite this Entry
“Tortoise.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tortoise. Accessed 22 Feb. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
tortoise
noun
tor·toise
ˈtȯrt-əs 
: turtle entry 2
especially
: a land-dwelling turtle
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share