Noun | 1. | ![]() turtle - any of various aquatic and land reptiles having a bony shell and flipper-like limbs for swimming family Trionychidae, Trionychidae - soft-shelled turtles spiny softshell, Trionyx spiniferus - river turtle of western United States with a warty shell; prefers quiet water smooth softshell, Trionyx muticus - river turtle of Mississippi basin; prefers running water |