snail 1 of 2

noun

ˈsnāl How to pronounce snail (audio)
Definition of snailnext
as in slug
someone who moves slowly or more slowly than others go and tell the snails in the back to hurry up

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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
Pest Control with Cardboard Slugs and snails are drawn to cool, damp cardboard. — Patricia Shannon, Southern Living, 10 July 2026 The effect has been especially damaging on corals, oysters, and free-swimming snails and slugs. — Jeffrey Kluger, Time, 9 July 2026
Verb
The northern part of the island was at a standstill, schools closed, traffic snailing down the motorway. — Ariel Saramandi, The Dial, 29 July 2025 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 See All Example Sentences for snail
Recent Examples of Synonyms for snail
  1. slug
  2. drag
  3. crawler
  4. crawl
  5. slowpoke
  6. creep
  7. lingerer
  8. poke
Noun
  • Disappearing leaves and leaves with large holes indicate a slug or snail problem in the garden.
    — Mary Marlowe Leverette, The Spruce, 15 July 2026
  • My brain would like to know whether this journaling exercise comes with a CMS slug and a publish date.
    — Emily Cegielski, Flow Space, 13 July 2026
Definition of slug
Verb
  • The untethered AUVs hover above the seabed instead of dragging equipment across it, reducing sediment disturbance and limiting ecosystem disruption.
    — Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 15 July 2026
  • Overall, the plan is on par with a request the White House submitted to Congress last month, as the Iran war drags past four months.
    — Kevin Freking, Fortune, 15 July 2026
Definition of drag
Noun
  • The distinction matters because some crawlers serve multiple purposes simultaneously.
    — Sandy Carter, Forbes.com, 1 July 2026
  • That’s because it’s built to travel on roadways and bike lanes, leaving its fellow sidewalk crawlers in the dust.
    — Frank Landymore, Futurism, 24 June 2026
Definition of crawler
Verb
  • Tents As a teenager, crawling into a small A-frame tent was a rite of passage.
    — Clay Abney, Travel + Leisure, 16 July 2026
  • With fervent editing, careful scene geography, and assured direction, the walk before the run can be tense enough to send viewers crawling out of their seats, willing the fugitive onscreen to get a move on already.
    — Ben Travers, IndieWire, 15 July 2026
Definition of crawl
Noun
  • Sale prices currently start from $579 per person, but there’s limited availability due to the size of the ships, so don’t be a slowpoke!
    — Hannah Chubb, Condé Nast Traveler, 4 June 2026
  • Instead, the problem is that these slowpokes haven’t been nearly as efficient.
    — John Hollinger, New York Times, 23 Apr. 2026
Definition of slowpoke
Verb
  • On a moonless night, that Alpha team crept silently from the statue’s belly and wrenched open the gates of Troy, decisively ending the war in their favor.
    — Hillary Busis, Vanity Fair, 15 July 2026
  • They’re concentrated in the Southeast, but lone star ticks have been making their way north and creeping in from the coasts.
    — Meg Tirrell, CNN Money, 14 July 2026
Definition of creep
Noun
  • Nakamura designs for lingerers.
    — Justin Davidson, Curbed, 1 Apr. 2026
Definition of lingerer
Verb
  • Her breasts poke at the thin fabric of her gown, and there are shadows in the folds of the bed linen.
    — Diane Williams, New Yorker, 16 July 2026
  • This included one of their players poking a finger into the ear of the Belgian penalty-spot protector Diego Moreira, and responding to the reactionary elbow to the tummy by going down, and staying down, on top of the penalty mark.
    — Geir Jordet, New York Times, 15 July 2026
Definition of poke

Phrases Containing snail

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snags
snail
snailed
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Cite this Entry

“Snail.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/snail. Accessed 18 Jul. 2026.

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