1
: any of numerous limbless scaled reptiles (suborder Serpentes synonym Ophidia) with a long tapering body and with salivary glands often modified to produce venom which is injected through grooved or tubular fangs
2
: a worthless or treacherous fellow
3
: something (such as a plumber's snake) resembling a snake
snaked; snaking
1
: to wind (one's way, one's body in crawling, etc.) in the manner of a snake
2
: to move (something, such as logs) by dragging
: to crawl, move, or extend silently, secretly, or sinuously
Synonyms
Examples of snake in a Sentence
Noun
I thought she was my friend, but she turned out to be a snake in the grass.
snakes are cold-blooded, so they regulate their body temperature by alternately basking in sunlight and seeking shade
Verb
The road snakes through the mountains.
Cables snaked across the floor.
Technicians snaked cables through the set.
He snaked his way through the crowd.
Recent Examples on the Web
Evan Moore, Charlotte Observer, 6 June 2024
The Difference Between Legless Lizards and Snakes While snakes and legless lizards may appear similar at first glance, a few things separate the groups.
—Joshua Rapp Learn, Discover Magazine, 4 June 2024
Asher Elbein, New York Times, 7 May 2024
The line of Andrea Bocelli’s fans waiting to enter CFG Bank Arena, where the famed Italian tenor was about to make his Baltimore debut, snaked for two blocks down Howard Street, while motorists attempting to find parking fared little better.
—Mary Carole McCauley, Baltimore Sun, 21 Feb. 2024
See all Example Sentences for snake 
Noun
Approximately 150,000 dogs and cats in the United States are bitten by venomous snakes each year, according to Morris Animal Foundation — and approximately 5% of those bites are fatal (though bites from copperhead snakes are less deadly than rattlesnakes).
—Evan Moore, Charlotte Observer, 6 June 2024
The Difference Between Legless Lizards and Snakes While snakes and legless lizards may appear similar at first glance, a few things separate the groups.
—Joshua Rapp Learn, Discover Magazine, 4 June 2024
Verb
Because most of the data comes from one rather unusual population — island snakes entirely hunted by birds and graduate students — more research, ideally including real-world observation, is necessary in other populations and among other snake species make the same calculations.
—Asher Elbein, New York Times, 7 May 2024
The line of Andrea Bocelli’s fans waiting to enter CFG Bank Arena, where the famed Italian tenor was about to make his Baltimore debut, snaked for two blocks down Howard Street, while motorists attempting to find parking fared little better.
—Mary Carole McCauley, Baltimore Sun, 21 Feb. 2024
See all Example Sentences for snake
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'snake.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near snake
Cite this Entry
“Snake.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/snake. Accessed 12 Jun. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
snake
1 of 2 noun1
: any of numerous limbless reptiles that have a long body and salivary glands often capable of producing venom which is injected through fangs
2
: a mean or treacherous person
snake
2 of 2 verb
snaked; snaking
: to crawl, wind, or move like a snake
Medical Definition
snake
noun
: any of numerous limbless scaled reptiles (suborder Serpentes synonym Ophidia) with a long tapering body and with salivary glands often modified to produce venom which is injected through grooved or tubular fangs
Geographical Definition
Snake
geographical name
river 1038 miles (1670 kilometers) long in the northwestern U.S. flowing from northwestern Wyoming across southern Idaho and into the Columbia River in Washington
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