1
: a gastropod mollusk especially when having an external enclosing spiral shell
2
: a slow-moving or sluggish person or thing
snailed; snailing; snails
: to move, act, or go slowly or lazily
Examples of snail in a Sentence
Noun
go and tell the snails in the back to hurry up
Verb
the highway construction work created a bottleneck that had cars snailing for the next five miles
Recent Examples on the Web
Ashley J. Dimella, FOXNews.com, 26 June 2025
As Reva relates the stories of her three main characters—including one whose true passion is snail conservation—her novel hums with bruised faith in the irrational power of hope, whether for peace, love, endangered species, or familial reconciliation.
—The New Yorker, New Yorker, 23 June 2025
Anthony Demarco, Forbes, 20 Jan. 2025
The hour track is smooth, the minute track is snailed and the central area of the dial is finished with a vertical brush.
—Anthony Demarco, Forbes, 23 Oct. 2024
See All Example Sentences for snail
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Noun
Cone snails are one of the most venomous animals on Earth, with approximately 600-700 species of slugs in existence, according to the Ocean Conservancy (OC).
—Ashley J. Dimella, FOXNews.com, 26 June 2025
As Reva relates the stories of her three main characters—including one whose true passion is snail conservation—her novel hums with bruised faith in the irrational power of hope, whether for peace, love, endangered species, or familial reconciliation.
—The New Yorker, New Yorker, 23 June 2025
Verb
The two perpetual calendar counters are also snailed, except for the central section of the one located at 9 o'clock.
—Anthony Demarco, Forbes, 20 Jan. 2025
The hour track is smooth, the minute track is snailed and the central area of the dial is finished with a vertical brush.
—Anthony Demarco, Forbes, 23 Oct. 2024
See All Example Sentences for snail
Cite this Entry
“Snail.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/snail. Accessed 18 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
snail
noun
: any of various gastropod mollusks and especially those having an external enclosing spiral shell including some which are important in medicine as intermediate hosts of trematodes
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