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

The sidewinder, or the side volley as some like to call it, is the modern way for a goalkeeper to distribute a ball out of the hands. — Stuart James, New York Times, 20 June 2026

There’s a hydraulic rebound control suspension and a sidewinder mode for diagonal crawling. — James Raia, Mercury News, 31 May 2026

Crispy sidewinder fries, Cajun slaw, tender alligator nuggets. — Jim Higgins, jsonline.com, 28 Apr. 2026

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

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