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 of serpent

• 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

Those serpents include six rattlesnake species and non-rattlers, such as the Copperhead, Water Moccasin (or Cottonmouth) and Eastern Coral snakes. —Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 25 Apr. 2026

Slowly, very slowly, the serpent’s erectile head came up, up, cantilevered from its upper body, its firm, columnar upper body. —John McPhee, New Yorker, 20 Apr. 2026

The piece, after all, takes a page from the slithering, scaly serpent — being chunky, well-built, highly textural, and fluid. —Stacia Datskovska, Footwear News, 31 Mar. 2026

And if a mother kept a piece of jasper on hand throughout her child’s infancy, they would both be protected from malign spirits of the air and from the tongue of the ancient serpent that was hell‑bent on ensnaring newborns. —Literary Hub, 18 Mar. 2026

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

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1b

Phrases Containing serpent

• sea serpent

Kids Definition

serpent

noun

ser·​pent ˈsər-pənt 

: a usually large snake