Definitions

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun The act or method of catching turtles; the business of a turtler.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun The act, practice, or art of catching turtles.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun Alternative form of turtleling.
  • noun The hunting of turtles (the reptiles).
  • noun nautical Turning turtle.
  • noun figuratively Any slow progression or build-up.
  • noun computer games A defensive strategy of avoiding conflict, usually in a fixed position.
  • verb Present participle of turtle.

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

turtle +‎ -ing

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From turtle +‎ -ling.

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Examples

  • In fact the idea of turtling in Kandahar base while some new imaginary force comes into take over combat operations for us is so divorced from reality I'm not quite sure what marriage counselor can fix it.

    Answers, Please ALW 2008

  • It creates an immense amount of "turtling" in our corporate and industrial boardrooms around the world.

    How Technology is Changing the Way We Do Business 2003

  • The amount of "turtling" as I call it -- just going into a shell and getting conservative; not taking the risks and doing what the dynamic market economy needs that's going on in corporate America and wherever else we touch is unbelievable.

    How Technology is Changing the Way We Do Business 2003

  • Turtle is abundant, and the business of "turtling" forms an occupation additional to that of wrecking.

    Jack Tier James Fenimore Cooper 1820

  • Calamity Trigger that would fill as the player blocked, eventually placing them in a stunned state as a deterrent from "turtling" (hiding in a corner and blocking).

    Joystiq 2010

  • Tom good-sportingly a little crow for having recently written about game developers stifling players '"turtling" options in real-time strategy games, but

    Gaming Nexus 2009

  • Tom good-sportingly a little crow for having recently written about game developers stifling players '"turtling" options in real-time strategy games, but

    Gaming Nexus 2009

  • Tom good-sportingly a little crow for having recently written about game developers stifling players '"turtling" options in real-time strategy games, but

    Gaming Nexus 2009

  • Tom good-sportingly a little crow for having recently written about game developers stifling players '"turtling" options in real-time strategy games, but

    Gaming Nexus 2009

  • Finally, though the Blizzard series of real time strategy games made "turtling" impossible by ensuring you had to keep expanding your base to acquire new resources, the elimination of this strategy in the Red Alert series is a design choice that I don't agree with.

    MyAppleMenu 2009

Comments

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  • In videogames, it refers to having a 100% defensive position or tactic.

    Turtling is commonly seen in Team Fortress 2, on All - Engineer teams.

    May 24, 2013