: a common pit viper (Agkistrodon contortrix) of the eastern and central U.S. usually having a copper-colored head and often a reddish-brown hourglass pattern on the body
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disapproving: a person in the northern states who sympathized with the South during the American Civil War
Illustration of copperhead
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Examples of copperhead in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the WebThough copperhead bites are more common, around 7,000 rattlesnake bites are reported annually in the U.S., N.C.—Evan Moore, Charlotte Observer, 4 June 2024 The copperhead that bit Ginger is a venomous snake that emits hemotoxic venom into its victims, according to Live Science.—Julia Moore, Peoplemag, 3 Oct. 2023 The beagle had been bitten by a copperhead snake, and Prigmore decided to take her to a vet to get the bite checked out.—Julia Moore, Peoplemag, 3 Oct. 2023 Dogs that receive copperhead bites should always be taken to a veterinarian for evaluation.—Meghan Overdeep, Southern Living, 4 Oct. 2023 Of the 46 species of snakes known in Georgia, only six are venomous: copperhead, cottonmouth, Eastern diamondback rattlesnake, timber/canebrake rattlesnake, pigmy rattlesnake and Eastern coral snake.—Nancy Clanton, ajc, 20 Apr. 2023 Last week, park rangers in Dinosaur Valley State Park near Fort Worth found a copperhead, one of 105 different species of snake found in Texas and one of 15 potentially dangerous to humans, near the Main Track Site.—Shepard Price, San Antonio Express-News, 2 May 2023 Adults tend to be larger than their copperhead cousins.—Cole Sikes Communications and Marketing Specialist Alabama Cooperative Extension System, al, 25 Apr. 2023 Zander and his sister were playing basketball in their driveway when a loose ball disturbed a copperhead hidden near the family’s garage, according to Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta.—Avery Newmark, ajc, 19 Nov. 2021
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'copperhead.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
: a pit viper (Agkistrodon contortrix) widely distributed in upland areas of the eastern and central United States that typically attains a length of three feet (0.9 meter), is coppery brown above with dark transverse blotches, and is capable of inflicting a very painful but rarely fatal bite
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: a very venomous but sluggish Australian elapid snake of the genus Denisonia (D. superba)
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