snail 1 of 2

snail

2 of 2

verb

as in to drag
to move slowly the highway construction work created a bottleneck that had cars snailing for the next five miles

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of snail
Noun
The range of the monster drawings included primitive people, giant spiders, serpents, snails and fantastical fish. Jaden Thompson, Footwear News, 22 Oct. 2025 Matt Horton, Arkansas Game and Fish Commission program coordinator, says 36 aquatic nuisance species have been documented in Arkansas, including plants, fish, mussels, snails and other types of organisms. Arkansas Online, 21 Oct. 2025
Verb
Could snail slime and salmon sperm be the next big things in skincare? Leslie Baumann, Miami Herald, 26 Jan. 2024 What can snail mucin do for your skin? Lacey Muinos, Health, 13 Feb. 2023 See All Example Sentences for snail
Recent Examples of Synonyms for snail
Noun
  • Any organic mulch will work, but leaves may attract slugs.
    Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 31 Oct. 2025
  • While this energy level is lower than many rifle categories, the slug’s massive frontal area and weight create uniquely destructive terminal effects.
    Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 30 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • But efforts to drag the barge to the site via helicopter failed, with the icebreaker getting stuck in ice and mud.
    Virginia Chamlee, PEOPLE, 30 Oct. 2025
  • As negotiations have dragged on, moreover, Beijing’s appetite has grown.
    Mira Rapp-Hooper, Foreign Affairs, 29 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • The larvae are voracious and consume many aphids and scale crawlers during this stage of development, MSU said.
    Jalen Williams, Freep.com, 27 Oct. 2025
  • Try ones shaped like pumpkins, skulls, or spiders and other creepy crawlers.
    Cathy Thomas, Oc Register, 14 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Ecologically, spiders are important predators of crawling insects.
    Jasmine Laws, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Oct. 2025
  • This 2022 Netflix original documentary will have your skin crawling.
    Emy LaCroix, PEOPLE, 29 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Retired or not, the world’s greatest quarterback does not have the luxury to indulge in sequential action—one thing at a time is for slowpokes and losers.
    Vinson Cunningham, The New Yorker, 25 Jan. 2025
  • One group of 15 female rats, brighter in color than the rest, kept zooming past the others to make it into the houses first, making the rest of their furry colleagues look like slowpokes.
    Laura Bradley, Vulture, 17 Jan. 2025
Verb
  • Domestically, the president is also navigating creeping inflation that is threatening his party’s prospects in the midterm elections, with Democrats staking their return to power on fears of an affordability crisis.
    David Sivak, The Washington Examiner, 31 Oct. 2025
  • But with Neo stepping into the household and taking on labor like housekeeping, job-seekers may have to compete with AI innovations creeping into the blue-collar world.
    Jessica Coacci, Fortune, 31 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Vogue's Anna Wintour playfully poked fun at Rocky's daughter being his namesake in her introduction to the rapper, 37.
    Anika Reed, USA Today, 4 Nov. 2025
  • Sad and Beautiful World finds Mavis, 86, exploring, rediscovering, and poking holes at her lifetime of righteous optimism.
    Jonathan Bernstein, Rolling Stone, 4 Nov. 2025
Noun
  • No longer a laggard, Germany last year became the fourth-largest military spender in the world.
    Kathleen Collins, Twin Cities, 26 Oct. 2025
  • The financial reports next week will decide who are the winners and who are the laggards going forward.
    Sarah Min, CNBC, 24 Oct. 2025

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Snail.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/snail. Accessed 5 Nov. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on snail

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!