{"loaderData":{"0":null,"0-3":[{"type":"fetchPageData/fulfilled","payload":{"_id":"home-legacy","story":{"created_at":"2023-07-04T15:14:18.526Z","published_at":"2024-05-02T04:05:00.000Z","content":{"heroModule":[{"cta":[{"url":"https://www.thesaurus.com/e/writing/how-to-write-a-scary-story-tips-to-haunt-your-reader/","text":"Read more.","target":"_self"}],"article":{"name":"How to Write a Scary Story: Tips to Haunt Your Readers","content":{"topicLabel":"Writing tips"}},"imageUrl":"https://assets.dictionary.com/home/featured/hero/how-to-write-a-scary-story-tips-to-haunt-your-reader-20251006.png","description":"Interested in crafting the next big thriller or a spooky short story? Here are some tips to get started.","subjectLabel":"Today"}],"quizModule":[{"cta":[{"url":"https://www.dictionary.com/learn/quizzes","text":"Go to all quizzes","target":"_self"}],"image":"https://assets.dictionary.com/home/daily-quiz.png","articleLink":[{"url":"https://www.dictionary.com/games/quizzes/keep-it-short-an-abbreviations-quiz","text":"Take the full quiz.","target":"_self"}],"subjectLabel":"Quiz","wordpressSlug":"keep-it-short-an-abbreviations-quiz","questionNumber":"1"}],"xotdModule":[],"gamesModule":[{"gamesList":[{"name":"Daily Crossword","created_at":"2023-07-04T15:24:23.318Z","published_at":"2024-02-07T05:05:00.000Z","id":336141299,"content":{"link":[{"url":"https://www.dictionary.com/e/crossword/","text":"Daily Crossword","target":"_self"}],"image":{"id":10215805,"alt":"","name":"","focus":"","title":"","source":"","filename":"https://assets.dictionary.com/home/daily-crossword.png","copyright":"","fieldtype":"asset","meta_data":{},"is_external_url":false},"subscriberLink":""},"slug":"daily-crossword","full_slug":"games/daily-crossword","sort_by_date":null,"position":0,"tag_list":[],"is_startpage":false,"parent_id":336140985,"meta_data":null,"group_id":"013f4974-3fad-4e2b-8aa2-c573ef31f263","first_published_at":"2023-07-04T15:32:55.972Z","release_id":null,"lang":"default","path":null,"alternates":[],"default_full_slug":null,"translated_slugs":null,"_stopResolving":true},{"name":"Hurdle","created_at":"2023-07-07T20:42:46.109Z","published_at":"2024-02-06T05:05:00.000Z","id":337835996,"content":{"link":[{"url":"https://play.dictionary.com/games/todays-hurdle","text":"Hurdle","target":"_self"}],"image":{"id":10215808,"alt":"","name":"","focus":"","title":"","source":"","filename":"https://assets.dictionary.com/home/hurdle.png","copyright":"","fieldtype":"asset","meta_data":{},"is_external_url":false},"subscriberLink":"https://www.dictionary.com/games/hurdle"},"slug":"hurdle","full_slug":"games/hurdle","sort_by_date":null,"position":-30,"tag_list":[],"is_startpage":false,"parent_id":336140985,"meta_data":null,"group_id":"3342f4e9-9403-4609-a956-7cd5eab50dc9","first_published_at":"2023-07-10T17:24:55.648Z","release_id":null,"lang":"default","path":null,"alternates":[],"default_full_slug":null,"translated_slugs":null,"_stopResolving":true},{"name":"Word Puzzle","created_at":"2023-07-04T15:31:56.964Z","published_at":"2023-07-10T17:24:59.422Z","id":336150578,"content":{"link":[{"url":"https://www.dictionary.com/games/word-puzzle","text":"Word Puzzle","target":"_self"}],"image":{"id":10215807,"alt":"","name":"","focus":"","title":"","source":"","filename":"https://assets.dictionary.com/home/word-puzzle.png","copyright":"","fieldtype":"asset","meta_data":{},"is_external_url":false}},"slug":"word-puzzle","full_slug":"games/word-puzzle","sort_by_date":null,"position":-20,"tag_list":[],"is_startpage":false,"parent_id":336140985,"meta_data":null,"group_id":"71792320-7229-4ab6-8558-b3af16f5e557","first_published_at":"2023-07-04T15:32:43.933Z","release_id":null,"lang":"default","path":null,"alternates":[],"default_full_slug":null,"translated_slugs":null,"_stopResolving":true},{"name":"Word Wipe","created_at":"2023-07-04T15:28:02.623Z","published_at":"2024-02-06T05:05:00.000Z","id":336141320,"content":{"link":[{"url":"https://play.dictionary.com/games/word-wipe","text":"Word Wipe","target":"_self"}],"image":{"id":10215806,"alt":"","name":"","focus":"","title":"","source":"","filename":"https://assets.dictionary.com/home/word-wipe.png","copyright":"","fieldtype":"asset","meta_data":{},"is_external_url":false},"subscriberLink":"https://www.dictionary.com/games/word-wipe"},"slug":"word-wipe","full_slug":"games/word-wipe","sort_by_date":null,"position":-10,"tag_list":[],"is_startpage":false,"parent_id":336140985,"meta_data":null,"group_id":"3789fc63-90b3-4407-99f4-fa263d1a3e39","first_published_at":"2023-07-04T15:32:50.947Z","release_id":null,"lang":"default","path":null,"alternates":[],"default_full_slug":null,"translated_slugs":null,"_stopResolving":true}],"description":"Calling all cruciverbalists! Sharpen your mind with crosswords and word games, or take a brain break with your favorite classic games.","subjectLabel":"Games"}],"commonModule":[],"ribbonModule":[],"trendingModule":[{"articles":[{"content":{"link":[{"url":"https://www.dictionary.com/e/words-for-book-lovers/","text":"Words All Book Lovers Should Add to Their Lingo Library"}]}},{"content":{"link":[{"url":"https://www.dictionary.com/e/slang/passenger-princess/","text":"Do You Have a \"Passenger Princess\" In Your Car?"}]}},{"content":{"link":[{"url":"https://www.dictionary.com/e/macro-vs-micro-economics/","text":"Macro vs. Micro: the Big (and Small) Difference"}]}},{"content":{"link":[{"url":"https://www.dictionary.com/e/s/cool-words","text":"15 Cool Words to Add to Your Vocabulary"}]}},{"content":{"link":[{"url":"https://www.dictionary.com/e/french-fries-words-around-the-world/","text":"Frites, Chips, and More: French Fries Around the World"}]}}],"subjectLabel":"Trending"}],"newsletterModule":[{"title":"Salutations, logophile!","imageUrl":"https://assets.dictionary.com/home/newsletter.png","description":"Sign up to get everything a word lover could want: word origins, fun facts, and the latest language trends.","subjectLabel":"Newsletter"}],"largeRibbonModule":[],"recirculationModule":[{"articles":[{"content":{"link":[{"url":"https://www.dictionary.com/e/news-from-october-4-october-10-2025/","text":"This Week in Words: News from October 4–October 10, 2025"}],"topicLabel":"This Week in Words 🌎"}},{"content":{"link":[{"url":"https://www.dictionary.com/e/emoji/face-in-clouds-emoji/","text":"How Are You Using the Face in Clouds Emoji 😶‍🌫️?"}],"topicLabel":"Emoji IRL"}},{"content":{"link":[{"url":"https://www.thesaurus.com/e/grammar/whycapitali/","text":"Why Do We Capitalize the Pronoun \"I\"?"}],"topicLabel":"Writing"}}],"subjectLabel":"Featured"}]},"slug":"shared-homepage","full_slug":"homepages/shared-homepage","sort_by_date":null,"position":0,"tag_list":[],"is_startpage":false,"parent_id":336140983,"meta_data":null,"group_id":"c7ed375b-9129-448c-aeec-9f52e3fef270","first_published_at":"2023-07-04T18:23:43.845Z","release_id":null,"lang":"default","path":null,"alternates":[],"default_full_slug":null,"translated_slugs":null}},"meta":{"requestId":"PmVmFH_tUcaRXlL5db00x","requestStatus":"fulfilled"}},{"type":"luna/fetchExampleSentences/fulfilled","payload":{"data":{"nlp":[{"id":"6735976-39","sentence":"He owns a pet tortoise he named Tyrosine after an amino acid, and dreams of being an orthodontist after he retires from racing.","source":{"sourceName":"The Wall Street Journal","publicationDate":"2025-02-16T05:00:00.000Z","publication_date":"2025-02-16T05:00:00.000Z","url":"https://www.wsj.com/sports/olympics/indoor-mile-world-record-yared-nuguse-jakob-ingebrigtsen-7a67dfce","abbreviation":"nlp","author":"Rachel Bachman","title":"The Indoor Mile World Record Stood for Years. Then It Fell Twice in Five Days."},"offsets":[14,22]},{"id":"6728410-5","sentence":"Oh, and the two giant tortoises out back.","source":{"sourceName":"Los Angeles Times","publicationDate":"2025-08-26T04:00:00.000Z","publication_date":"2025-08-26T04:00:00.000Z","url":"https://www.latimes.com/travel/story/2025-08-26/ojai-el-roblar-hotel-reopens","abbreviation":"nlp","author":"Christopher Reynolds","title":"Inside the newest hotel in Ojai, which is also the oldest"},"offsets":[22,31]},{"id":"6727936-0","sentence":"Twentynine Palms, Calif. — Desert tortoise burrows dot Cindy Bernard’s property in Indian Cove, a sprawling residential neighborhood just outside Joshua Tree National Park.","source":{"sourceName":"Los Angeles Times","publicationDate":"2025-08-22T04:00:00.000Z","publication_date":"2025-08-22T04:00:00.000Z","url":"https://www.latimes.com/environment/story/2025-08-22/glamping-resort-joshua-tree-national-park-lawsuit","abbreviation":"nlp","author":"Alex Wigglesworth","title":"A Vegas company wants to build a glamping resort near Joshua Tree National Park. Locals sued"},"offsets":[34,42]},{"id":"6724933-19","sentence":"The brand’s classic Oliver Sun frame was redone in three shades — black, tortoise and clear — to reflect a Southern California laid-back attitude.","source":{"sourceName":"Los Angeles Times","publicationDate":"2025-08-01T04:00:00.000Z","publication_date":"2025-08-01T04:00:00.000Z","url":"https://www.latimes.com/lifestyle/image/story/2025-08-01/drip-index-aug-2025","abbreviation":"nlp","author":"Katerina Portela","title":"The hottest fashion and art happenings for an endless L.A. summer"},"offsets":[73,81]},{"id":"6724011-13","sentence":"It will outlive you, me and every tortoise on Earth.","source":{"sourceName":"Salon","publicationDate":"2025-07-25T04:00:00.000Z","publication_date":"2025-07-25T04:00:00.000Z","url":"https://www.salon.com/2025/07/25/weve-reached-peak-marvel-mess-with-fantastic-four-first-steps/","abbreviation":"nlp","author":"Coleman Spilde","title":"We've reached peak Marvel mess"},"offsets":[34,42]}],"tdb":[],"gbg":[]}},"meta":{"arg":{"word":"tortoise"},"requestId":"3doKjXe4O1_U2RzxcCMR-","requestStatus":"fulfilled"}},{"type":"dcomWeb/fetchThesaurusRelatedEntries/fulfilled","payload":{"relatedEntries":[{"headword":"turtle","partOfSpeech":"noun","shortDefinition":"reptile","slug":"turtle","synonyms":[{"headword":"chelonian","slug":"chelonian"},{"headword":"cooter","slug":"cooter"},{"headword":"leatherback","slug":"leatherback"},{"headword":"loggerhead","slug":"loggerhead"},{"headword":"slowpoke","slug":"slowpoke"},{"headword":"snapper","slug":"snapper"},{"headword":"terrapin","slug":"terrapin"},{"headword":"testudinal","slug":"testudinal"},{"headword":"tortoise","slug":"tortoise"}]}],"slug":"tortoise"},"meta":{"arg":"tortoise","requestId":"wMJ-2ZY7mnfrARIYFCLWi","requestStatus":"fulfilled"}},{"type":"dcomWeb/fetchThesaurusEntry/fulfilled","payload":[{"entries":[{"createDate":"2021-05-09T14:57:21Z","headword":{"normalizedForm":"tortoise","standardForm":"tortoise"},"id":"6097f85100000002ef00c018","lang":"en","modifyDate":"2021-05-09T14:57:21Z","ngrams":{"allLetters":true,"forward":"tortoise","groups":["e","i","o","oo","r","s","t","tt"],"numLetters":8,"reverse":"esiotrot","subwordTokens":["tortoise","ortoise","rtoise","toise","oise","ise","se","e"]},"normalizedLetter":"t","ordinal":1,"partOfSpeechBlocks":[{"definitions":[{"crossReferences":[{"targetEntry":{"headword":"turtle","id":"6097f85f00000003a400d500","slug":"turtle"},"targetEntryId":"6097f85f00000003a400d505","type":"as-in"}],"id":"6097f85100000002ef00c01d","ordinal":1,"shortText":"reptile","source":"random-house","synonyms":[{"entry":{"headword":"chelonian","id":"6097faf5000000039100ac0a","slug":"chelonian"},"similarity":50},{"entry":{"headword":"cooter","id":"6097fb5800000000510021b8","slug":"cooter"},"similarity":50},{"entry":{"headword":"leatherback","id":"6097f6c7000000030300f213","slug":"leatherback"},"similarity":50},{"entry":{"headword":"loggerhead","id":"6097f6d7000000016a00d9cb","slug":"loggerhead"},"similarity":50},{"entry":{"headword":"slowpoke","id":"6097f7d7000000036f00e210","slug":"slowpoke"},"similarity":50},{"entry":{"headword":"snapper","id":"6097f7d7000000036f001c69","slug":"snapper"},"similarity":50},{"entry":{"headword":"terrapin","id":"6097f841000000014100aa3c","slug":"terrapin"},"similarity":50},{"entry":{"headword":"testudinal","id":"6097f841000000014100b80e","slug":"testudinal"},"similarity":10}]}],"id":"6097f851bb1f88f7c11e1786","ordinal":1,"partOfSpeech":"noun"}],"pronunciationSets":[{"id":"55680f0b000000005700aeb6","lang":"en","ordinal":1,"pronunciations":[{"audio":{"flac":"T03/T0389300/T0389300.flac","mpeg":"T03/T0389300/T0389300.mp3","ogg":"T03/T0389300/T0389300.ogg","wav":"T03/T0389300/T0389300.wav"},"id":"55680f0b000000005700aeb7","ipa":{"text":"ˈtɔr təs"},"phonetic":{"boldIndices":[0,1,2,3],"html":"tawr-tuhs","italicIndices":[6,7],"text":"tawr-tuhs"}}],"region":"us"}],"slug":"tortoise","source":"random-house","subType":"as-in","type":"tcom"}],"type":"tcom"}],"meta":{"arg":"tortoise","requestId":"zKoIy78hR9EyjD73E_b-A","requestStatus":"fulfilled"}},{"type":"dcomWeb/fetchDictionaryEntry/fulfilled","payload":[{"entries":[{"createDate":"2010-11-18T19:07:24Z","headword":{"normalizedForm":"tortoise","standardForm":"tortoise"},"id":"4ce5796c3dc0458e11c58551","lang":"en","modifyDate":"2010-11-18T19:07:24Z","ngrams":{"allLetters":true,"forward":"tortoise","groups":["e","i","o","oo","r","s","t","tt"],"numLetters":8,"reverse":"esiotrot","subwordTokens":["tortoise","ortoise","rtoise","toise","oise","ise","se","e"]},"normalizedLetter":"t","ordinal":1,"origin":{"source":"collins","text":"C15: probably from Old French tortue (influenced by Latin tortus twisted), from Medieval Latin tortūca, from Late Latin tartarūcha coming from Tartarus, from Greek tartaroukhos; referring to the belief that the tortoise originated in the underworld","type":"etymology"},"partOfSpeechBlocks":[{"definitions":[{"id":"4c2bc669a83eacb67a81f515","ordinal":1,"tags":[{"tag":"Science_and_Technology:Life_Sciences_and_Allied_Applications:Animals","type":"subject-field"}],"text":"any herbivorous terrestrial chelonian reptile of the family Testudinidae, of most warm regions, having a heavy dome-shaped shell and clawed limbs"},{"id":"4c14d523dca39b3bde99a0d3","ordinal":2,"tags":[{"tag":"Science_and_Technology:Life_Sciences_and_Allied_Applications:Animals","type":"subject-field"}],"text":"another name for terrapin"},{"id":"4ca836215149466064bd827e","ordinal":3,"tags":[{"tag":"General:General_Language:General_Language_Term","type":"subject-field"}],"text":"a slow-moving person"},{"id":"4cf2f7defb16bd85fae7a2b7","ordinal":4,"tags":[{"tag":"Social_Science_and_History:Military:Arms_and_Armour_excluding_Firearms","type":"subject-field"}],"text":"another word for testudo See also giant tortoise"}],"ordinal":1,"partOfSpeech":"noun"}],"pronunciationSets":[{"ordinal":1,"pronunciations":[{"ipa":{"text":"ˈtɔːtəs"}}]}],"slug":"tortoise","source":"collins","type":"british"}],"type":"british"},{"entries":[{"createDate":"2015-05-29T07:02:35Z","headword":{"normalizedForm":"tortoise","standardForm":"tortoise","syllabicForm":"tor·toise"},"id":"55680f0b000000005700aeb2","lang":"en","modifyDate":"2015-05-29T07:02:35Z","ngrams":{"allLetters":true,"forward":"tortoise","groups":["e","i","o","oo","r","s","t","tt"],"numLetters":8,"reverse":"esiotrot","subwordTokens":["tortoise","ortoise","rtoise","toise","oise","ise","se","e"]},"normalizedLetter":"t","notes":[{"id":"00000000000000000002cffa","text":"What’s the difference between a tortoise and a turtle?\nThe words tortoise and turtle are sometimes used interchangeably, and turtle is the more general term. The word tortoise is sometimes used to distinguish a turtle as being a terrestrial (mostly land-dwelling) one, as opposed to an aquatic turtle (one that spends most of its time in water).However, this doesn’t mean that a turtle is necessarily aquatic simply because it’s called a turtle. For example, the box turtle is primarily terrestrial (it can also be called the box tortoise).Turtles and tortoises are both reptiles that belong to the order Testudines. Whether something is called a tortoise or a turtle often depends on its habitat and physical features.Some aquatic turtles, like snapping turtles, have webbed feet, while others, like sea turtles, have flippers. In contrast, turtles that are called tortoises typically have stubby, round feet, and their shells are often more domed.Here are a few quick questions to help you determine whether it’s more appropriate to call something a tortoise or a turtle.Q: Does it spend a lot of time in the water and have webbed feet or flippers?A: It’s probably called a turtle.Q: Does it live mostly on land and have a domed shell and round feet?A: There’s a good chance it’s called a tortoise, but this isn’t always the case.Q: Is it a teenaged, mutant ninja?A: It’s a turtle.Still stumped? Ask a herpetologist.Want to learn more? Read the full breakdown of the difference between tortoises and turtles.","type":"usage-wordpress"}],"ordinal":1,"origin":{"id":"55680f0b000000005700aecb","source":"dcom","text":"1350–1400; variant of earlier (15th-century) tortuse, tortose, tortuce, Middle English tortuca < Medieval Latin tortūca, for Late Latin tartarūcha (feminine adj.) of Tartarus (< Greek tartaroûcha ), the tortoise being regarded as an infernal animal; Medieval Latin form influenced by Latin tortus crooked, twisted ( tort )","type":"origin"},"partOfSpeechBlocks":[{"definitions":[{"id":"55680f0b000000005700aec0","ordinal":1,"source":"random-house","text":"a turtle, especially a terrestrial turtle."},{"id":"55680f0b000000005700aec2","ordinal":2,"source":"random-house","text":"a very slow person or thing."},{"crossReferences":[{"targetDefinition":{"id":"55680ecf00000002d90055a6","ordinal":1,"text":"(among the ancient Romans) a movable shelter with a strong and usually fireproof arched roof, used for protection of soldiers in siege operations."},"targetEntry":{"headword":"testudo","id":"55680ecf00000002d9005588","slug":"testudo"}}],"id":"55680f0b000000005700aec4","ordinal":3,"source":"random-house","text":"testudo."}],"id":"55680f0b000000005700aebd","ordinal":1,"partOfSpeech":"noun"}],"pronunciationSets":[{"id":"55680f0b000000005700aeb6","lang":"en","ordinal":1,"pronunciations":[{"audio":{"flac":"T03/T0389300/T0389300.flac","mpeg":"T03/T0389300/T0389300.mp3","ogg":"T03/T0389300/T0389300.ogg","wav":"T03/T0389300/T0389300.wav"},"id":"55680f0b000000005700aeb7","ipa":{"text":"ˈtɔr təs"},"phonetic":{"boldIndices":[0,1,2,3],"html":"tawr-tuhs","italicIndices":[6,7],"text":"tawr-tuhs"}}],"region":"us"}],"slug":"tortoise","source":"dcom","type":"dcom"}],"type":"dcom"}],"meta":{"arg":"tortoise","requestId":"1SA8sXtn_84LFsSJzsb_v","requestStatus":"fulfilled"}},{"type":"fetchSpellSuggestions/fulfilled","payload":{"data":{"lunaWithSlug":[{"displayForm":"tortoise","slug":"tortoise"},{"displayForm":"Pontoise","slug":"pontoise"},{"displayForm":"porpoise","slug":"porpoise"},{"displayForm":"porpoise","slug":"porpoise"},{"displayForm":"tortile","slug":"tortile"},{"displayForm":"tortile","slug":"tortile"},{"displayForm":"Fort Boise","slug":"fort-boise"},{"displayForm":"Portlaoise","slug":"portlaoise"},{"displayForm":"turquoise","slug":"turquoise"},{"displayForm":"turquoise","slug":"turquoise"},{"displayForm":"turquoise","slug":"turquoise"}],"tunaWithSlug":[{"displayForm":"tortoise","slug":"tortoise"},{"displayForm":"mortise","slug":"mortise"},{"displayForm":"porpoise","slug":"porpoise"},{"displayForm":"tortile","slug":"tortile"},{"displayForm":"tortoiselike","slug":"tortoiselike"},{"displayForm":"turquoise","slug":"turquoise"},{"displayForm":"tortuous","slug":"tortuous"},{"displayForm":"torture","slug":"torture"},{"displayForm":"tortuosity","slug":"tortuosity"},{"displayForm":"tortuously","slug":"tortuously"},{"displayForm":"extortionist","slug":"extortionist"}]}},"meta":{"arg":{"word":"tortoise"},"requestId":"rZdaT76aGYt6aix1UXCoh","requestStatus":"fulfilled"}}]},"actionData":null,"errors":null}

tortoise

Example Sentences

Related Words