🐢 A shelled reptile 🛡️ To play defensively ⛵ To capsize 🎣 To hunt turtles

to turtle

2 9.3

To stay back and defend a position while waiting

verb
/ˈtɜːrtl/

Jargon

: replegarse

In a difficult situation, she decided to turtle by staying quiet and avoiding confrontation.

And when heartbreak comes along, it's very tempting to turtle up and to protect yourself.

Examples

During the game, he chose to turtle and wait for his opponent to make a mistake.
When you fight them, they often turtle and fail pretty quickly.

Blog text (2)
They may turtle here in a foregone loss and save whatever they have left for the Egg Bowl.

Blog text (27)
Araujo turtled, ate a knee to the body, and some punches to the head as the round ended.

Blog text (31)
He's turtling.

The Three Stooges (2012)
When under pressure, many players turtle, hoping to defend rather than attack.

Synonyms

to turtle up

vsto turtle

Informal

9.8

To become quiet and avoid people when feeling stressed or afraid

is a deliberate defensive strategy in contests waiting for opponent mistakes

Phrasal Verbs

to turn turtle

8.4

To flip over so the bottom becomes the top, often about boats or cars

to turtle up

Informal

9.8

To become quiet and avoid people when feeling stressed or afraid

Compounds

sea turtle

18 2.5

A large turtle that lives in the sea and uses flippers to swim

turtle soup

5 6.3

A soup made from turtle meat that people eat on special occasions

snapping turtle

3 5.4

A large freshwater animal with a strong jaw that can bite when frightened

box turtle

2 5.2

A North American land turtle with a high shell that can close tightly to protect itself

mock turtle

Archaic

1 8.6

A soup like turtle soup made without turtle meat

mock turtle soup

Archaic

1 8.2

A soup made from a calf's head or other meat that copies turtle soup

green turtle

1 3.9

A large sea turtle with a smooth greenish shell that lives in warm seas

loggerhead turtle

Specialized

1 4.8

A large sea turtle with a broad head that eats crabs and fish

alligator snapping turtle

1 7.9

A large freshwater turtle from the southeastern United States with three shell ridges and a powerful jaw

leatherback turtle

1 5.0

A very large sea turtle with a soft, leather-like shell that swims long distances

green turtle soup

Archaic

1 7.5

A soup made from the meat of green turtles, often served as a special food

painted turtle

1 5.1

A freshwater turtle with bright yellow and red marks on its shell and skin

bastard turtle

Specialized

8.9

A grey sea turtle that lives on the Atlantic and Gulf coasts of North America

common snapping turtle

4.2

A large freshwater turtle with a strong hooked jaw that bites when threatened

leathery turtle

4.8

A very large sea turtle with a soft, flexible shell instead of hard plates

marine turtle

2.6

A large sea animal with a hard shell and flippers that lives in warm oceans

mud turtle

6.8

A small freshwater turtle that lives on the bottom of soft wet rivers and streams

musk turtle

7.7

A small freshwater turtle that gives off a strong smell when threatened

gopher turtle

7.7

A large land tortoise that lives in burrows in the southeastern United States

hawksbill turtle

Specialized

7.5

A sea turtle with a pointed, hawk-like beak and a beautiful patterned shell that is endangered

red-bellied turtle

8.2

A freshwater turtle with red marks on its lower shell that lives in rivers near Chesapeake Bay

pancake turtle

9.8

A turtle that lives in water with a flat flexible shell, thick skin, and a strong bite

tortoiseshell turtle

8.2

A tropical sea turtle with a hooked beak and a beautiful patterned shell valued for decoration and food

soft-shelled turtle

7.2

A water turtle with a flat soft shell that lives in rivers and lakes and bites hard

turtle-crawl approach

Informal

8.2

A very slow way of doing something that wastes time

turtle bean

5.0

A small black bean often dried and used in cooking

Western box turtle

Specialized

6.6

A land turtle with a shell that closes living on prairies in the western United States and northern Mexico

How Defensive

to withdraw

466 2.8

to turtle

Jargon

2 9.3

defending

3.1

to play it safe

42 3.4

Surface Forms

turtle infinitive

turtled past

turtled past participle

turtling present participle

turtles third person singular

Etymology

Turtle used for a defensive or withdrawn strategy comes from the turtle's habit of pulling into its shell to protect itself. A helpful way to remember this is to think of people 'turtling' by hiding and defending their position.