anaconda

noun

an·​a·​con·​da ˌa-nə-ˈkän-də 

: a large semiaquatic constricting snake (Eunectes murinus) of the boa family of tropical South America that may reach a length of 30 feet (9.1 meters)

broadly : any of the large constricting snakes

Illustration of anaconda

Examples of anaconda in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

But things get real when an actual giant anaconda appears, turning their comically chaotic movie set into a deadly situation. —Tim Lammers, Forbes.com, 24 Jan. 2026

British explorer Colonel Percy Fawcett, who wandered the Amazon for 22 years at the beginning of the 20th century before vanishing without a trace, wrote that the breath of the anaconda stupefied its prey. —Stanley Stewart, Travel + Leisure, 10 Jan. 2026

According to National Geographic, green anacondas are non-venomous, constricting snakes native to South America and are members of the boa family. —Kimberlee Speakman, PEOPLE, 10 Jan. 2026

The project starts to unravel when life imitates art and a real anaconda begins hunting them down. —Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 28 Dec. 2025

Word History

Etymology

probably modification of Sinhalese henakandayā, a slender green snake

First Known Use

1748, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for anaconda

• honda

Kids Definition

anaconda

noun

an·​a·​con·​da ˌan-ə-ˈkän-də 

: a large South American snake that crushes its prey in its coils

also : any large snake that crushes its prey like an anaconda

Geographical Definition

Anaconda

geographical name

An·​a·​con·​da ˌa-nə-ˈkän-də 

city in southwestern Montana that grew rapidly following the building of a copper-smelting plant in 1884 and expanded to contain one of the largest nonferrous production plants in the world population 9298