: any of a genus (Bungarus) of brightly banded extremely venomous nocturnal elapid snakes of Pakistan, India, southeastern Asia, and adjacent islands
Examples of krait in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The snakes come from the elapid family and include cobras, mambas, taipans, coral snakes, and kraits — among other venomous species.
—
Monica Cull, Discover Magazine, 2 May 2025
Common kraits are often found in human settlements, drawn by the abundance of small prey like rodents and frogs.
—Scott Travers, Forbes, 18 Jan. 2025
Snake Island, where the show staged challenges, was notorious for banded sea kraits and venomous vipers; the island was also a handoff point for pirates, which meant that it was patrolled by Australian special forces.
—Emily Nussbaum, Vulture, 5 July 2024
In the clip, the mimic octopus impersonates one of these creatures, turning his tentacles into snake-like appendages that are the same colors as a sea krait.
—Kelli Bender, Peoplemag, 11 Apr. 2024
Researchers have created a powerful synthetic antibody that counteracts the deadly venom produced by snakes in the Elapidae family—which includes the black mamba, king cobra and kraits.
—Catherine Duncan, Smithsonian Magazine, 1 Mar. 2024
Groups of five mice were given a life-threatening dose of the toxin from the venom of a krait, mixed with the antibody.
—Catherine Duncan, Smithsonian Magazine, 1 Mar. 2024
Barbed arrow kraits can reach about 3 feet in length, the study said.
—Aspen Pflughoeft, Miami Herald, 1 Feb. 2024
When all is said and done, and the blanket removed, there is no krait at all.
—Vulture, 29 Sep. 2023
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.
Monica Cull, Discover Magazine, 2 May 2025
Common kraits are often found in human settlements, drawn by the abundance of small prey like rodents and frogs.
—Scott Travers, Forbes, 18 Jan. 2025
Snake Island, where the show staged challenges, was notorious for banded sea kraits and venomous vipers; the island was also a handoff point for pirates, which meant that it was patrolled by Australian special forces.
—Emily Nussbaum, Vulture, 5 July 2024
In the clip, the mimic octopus impersonates one of these creatures, turning his tentacles into snake-like appendages that are the same colors as a sea krait.
—Kelli Bender, Peoplemag, 11 Apr. 2024
Researchers have created a powerful synthetic antibody that counteracts the deadly venom produced by snakes in the Elapidae family—which includes the black mamba, king cobra and kraits.
—Catherine Duncan, Smithsonian Magazine, 1 Mar. 2024
Groups of five mice were given a life-threatening dose of the toxin from the venom of a krait, mixed with the antibody.
—Catherine Duncan, Smithsonian Magazine, 1 Mar. 2024
Barbed arrow kraits can reach about 3 feet in length, the study said.
—Aspen Pflughoeft, Miami Herald, 1 Feb. 2024
When all is said and done, and the blanket removed, there is no krait at all.
—Vulture, 29 Sep. 2023
Cite this Entry
“Krait.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/krait. Accessed 9 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
krait
noun
: any of several brightly banded extremely poisonous Asian snakes
Medical Definition
krait
noun
: any of several brightly banded extremely venomous nocturnal elapid snakes of the genus Bungarus that occur in Pakistan, India, southeastern Asia, and adjacent islands
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share