snake 1 of 2

noun

ˈsnāk How to pronounce snake (audio)
Definition of snakenext
1
as in serpent
a limbless reptile with a long body snakes are cold-blooded, so they regulate their body temperature by alternately basking in sunlight and seeking shade

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance
2
as in dog
a person whose behavior is offensive to others why, that dirty, rotten snake!

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in traitor
one who betrays a trust or an allegiance what a snake she was—having an affair with my husband while I was in the hospital!

Synonyms & Similar Words

snake

2 of 2

verb

1
as in to lurk
to move about in a sly or secret manner snaking softly through the brush

Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in to crawl
to move slowly with the body close to the ground commandos snaking through the grass toward the house

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of snake
Noun
The Interpol notice says the suspect has a tattoo, possibly of a snake, on her right arm from the shoulder to the elbow. — ABC News, 3 July 2026 Aspiring snake wranglers have a few more days to prepare for the Florida Python Challenge, the state’s annual roundup competition that draws participants from around the United States. — Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 2 July 2026
Verb
Fuel rationing has been introduced in many regions, with hourslong queues of cars snaking beside roads. — ABC News, 1 July 2026 Fuel rationing has been introduced in many Russian regions, with hours-long queues of cars snaking beside roads. — Dasha Litvinova, Los Angeles Times, 1 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for snake
Recent Examples of Synonyms for snake
  1. serpent
  2. dog
  3. traitor
  4. lurk
  5. crawl
  6. viper
  7. jerk
  8. sneak
Noun
  • According to the ancient Greeks, a mighty serpent called Ophion incubated an enormous egg that hatched into the universe and all its inhabitants.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 10 July 2026
  • There is a legend that Prince Albert presented her with a multi-stone serpent ring when they were engaged, and Victoria was buried with the ring.
    — Hadley Hall Meares, Vanity Fair, 6 July 2026
Definition of serpent
Noun
  • Sit, who went by the first name Tony, operated Happy K9 Academy and the dogs were in his care when they were kept in crates in a hot van and died, the district attorney’s office said.
    — Phil Helsel, NBC news, 11 July 2026
  • When an Instagram video with nearly 100 million views likened his appearance to a green onion — its wiry roots standing in as his hair — Haaland responded in the comments with a side-eyeing dog GIF.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 11 July 2026
Definition of dog
Noun
  • Those who opposed the coup, like Tom Keith's grandfather, are still often thought of as traitors, just as his distant relatives are.
    — Lee Cowan, CBS News, 12 July 2026
  • Irina and Raskova will enjoy a long, successful professional collaboration, purging Star City of traitors and threats and bringing down Petrovsky in a plot that leads to his ending his life in ignominy, having confessed to crimes against the state.
    — Sophie Brookover, Vulture, 10 July 2026
Definition of traitor
Verb
  • The key to making all of this work is really Deutch, who knows how to lace an all-American sweetness with a sense of anarchy lurking right below the surface.
    — David Fear, Rolling Stone, 9 July 2026
  • After this second surgery and worm discovery, his doctors put him on anti-parasitic medication to kill off any possible remaining worms lurking in him.
    — Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 9 July 2026
Definition of lurk
Verb
  • Tents As a teenager, crawling into a small A-frame tent was a rite of passage.
    — Clay Abney, Travel + Leisure, 16 July 2026
  • With fervent editing, careful scene geography, and assured direction, the walk before the run can be tense enough to send viewers crawling out of their seats, willing the fugitive onscreen to get a move on already.
    — Ben Travers, IndieWire, 15 July 2026
Definition of crawl
Noun
  • Hassabis, who won the Nobel Prize in chemistry in 2024 for pioneering the use of AI in protein prediction, is based in London and has largely avoided the viper pit created by the bare-knuckle AI race playing out in Silicon Valley.
    — Reed Albergotti, semafor.com, 15 July 2026
  • During his famous trials, Hercules encountered Echidna, who was half maiden and half viper.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 10 July 2026
Definition of viper
Noun
  • Bates plans to expand that menu in the new brick-and-mortar restaurant, adding dishes like jerk catfish pasta and Louisiana Cajun cream sauce over dirty rice.
    — Joey Schamber, jsonline.com, 8 July 2026
  • For instance, there are glazed pork belly chunks served on crispy tostones, tuna tataki with a jerk-spice rub, and a bright, citrusy conch salad.
    — Chadner Navarro, Travel + Leisure, 29 June 2026
Definition of jerk
Verb
  • With that, though, will come more possession and more opportunities for France to sneak a goal in at some point.
    — Jim Barnes, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 July 2026
  • Argentina will be heavy favorite against a Switzerland team that reached the quarterfinals after narrowly sneaking past Colombia in a penalty shootout last time out.
    — Ben Church, CNN Money, 11 July 2026
Definition of sneak

Phrases Containing snake

Browse Nearby Words

snails
snake
snakebit
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Snake.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/snake. Accessed 17 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on snake

Nglish: Translation of snake for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about snake

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of obdurate

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

The Words of the Week - Jul 17
See More

Popular

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
child-detective
Spot the Misspelled Word July 2026 Those little red underlines can't help you now...
See All