# turtle up

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/turtle-up
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

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

## Examples

- He tends to turtle up whenever we discuss his feelings.
- When the boss started asking difficult questions, the employee began to turtle up and stopped answering.
- Rather than engaging in the debate, the politician chose to turtle up, offering only vague, defensive responses to the reporter's inquiries.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.