turtle up

verb

To be defensive or hypervigilant; to adopt a defensive posture; to avoid conflict

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Meanings

verbturtle up (third-person singular simple present turtles up, present participle turtling up, simple past and past participle turtled up)

present singular third person turtles up · participle present turtling up · participle past turtled up · past turtled up

  1. idiomaticintransitiveTo be defensive or hypervigilant; to adopt a defensive posture; to avoid conflict
Cite this entry
APA

turtle up. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/turtle%20up

MLA

“turtle up.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/turtle%20up. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “turtle up,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/turtle%20up.

Source: turtle up on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.