snapping turtle


noun
  1. either of two large, edible, freshwater turtles of the family Chelydridae, of North and Central America, having a large head and powerful hooked jaws, especially the common snapping turtle, Chelydra serpentina.

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Origin of snapping turtle

1
An Americanism dating back to 1775–85

Words Nearby snapping turtle

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use snapping turtle in a sentence

  • Cope says that the Cretaceous of New Jersey alone affords twenty species, one of them a snapping turtle six feet in length.

British Dictionary definitions for snapping turtle

snapping turtle

noun
  1. any large aggressive North American river turtle of the family Chelydridae, esp Chelydra serpentina (common snapping turtle), having powerful hooked jaws and a rough shell: Also called: snapper

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012