sidewinder

noun

side·​wind·​er ˈsīd-ˌwīn-dər 

1

: a heavy swinging blow from the side

2

: a small pale-colored desert rattlesnake (Crotalus cerastes) of the southwestern U.S. that moves by thrusting its body diagonally forward in a series of flat S-shaped curves

Illustration of sidewinder

• sidewinder 2

Examples of sidewinder in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Common rattlesnakes in California include the Mojave, northern Pacific, red, sidewinder, speckled and western diamondback rattlesnakes. —Karen Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 22 Apr. 2026

Biomechanical research shows that sidewinders top out at around 2.2 miles per hour on the ground. —Scott Travers, Forbes.com, 22 June 2025

Another sidewinder on the deuce side had the same result. —Matthew Futterman, The Athletic, 16 Mar. 2025

South Shore Terrace's 2023 sales In 2023, South Shore Terrace served more than 100,000 beers, 15,000 non-alcoholic drinks, 25,000 orders of sidewinder fries, 5,500 orders of cheese curds and 5,000 pretzels. —Hannah Kirby, Journal Sentinel, 1 Apr. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1824, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for sidewinder

• binder
• blinder
• finder
• grinder
• kinder
• minder
• pinder
• bookbinder
• factfinder
• pathfinder
• reminder
• viewfinder

Kids Definition

sidewinder

noun

side·​wind·​er -ˌwīn-dər 

: a small rattlesnake of the southwestern U.S. that moves by thrusting its body diagonally forward in a series of flat S-shaped loops

Medical Definition

sidewinder

noun

side·​wind·​er ˈsīd-ˌwīnd-ər 

: a small pale-colored venomous rattlesnake of the genus Crotalus (C. cerastes) of the southwestern United States that moves by thrusting its body diagonally forward in a series of S-shaped curves

called also horned rattlesnake