serpent

noun

ser·​pent ˈsər-pənt 

1

a

archaic : a noxious creature that creeps, hisses, or stings

b

: snake

2

: devil sense 1

3

: a treacherous person

Synonyms

• snake
• viper

Examples of serpent in a Sentence

an Aztec carving of a feathered serpent representing the god Quetzalcoatl

beware the temptations of the serpent

Recent Examples on the Web

Snakes abound in the megaliths unearthed at the archaeological site of Gobekli Tepe in present-day Turkey, where Neolithic peoples attached special significance to serpents roughly 10,000 years ago. —Stephen S. Hall, Time, 21 Apr. 2025

The guests of the White Lotus Ko Samui don’t just have serpents on the brain. —Judy Berman, TIME, 3 Mar. 2025

But even as the small serpent refuses to let go and wraps its body around HARDY’s hand, the songwriter remains totally calm. —Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 25 Apr. 2025

Built for the long game, these serpents slithered their way from the Cretaceous right through to the Cenozoic — a stretch of over 80 million years. —Scott Travers, Forbes.com, 22 Apr. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin serpent-, serpens, from present participle of serpere to creep; akin to Greek herpein to creep, Sanskrit sarpati he creeps

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing serpent

• sea serpent

Kids Definition

serpent

noun

ser·​pent ˈsər-pənt 

: a usually large snake