SNAILS Synonyms: 53 Similar and Opposite Words

snails 1 of 2

noun

plural of snail

as in slugs

someone who moves slowly or more slowly than others go and tell the snails in the back to hurry up

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snails

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of snail

as in crawls

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

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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 snails

Noun

The inflatable horses, butterflies, snails and other creatures were made by the New York artist and designer Katie Stout. — Samantha Conti, Footwear News, 29 Sep. 2026 Aquarium officials received some 500 marine animals from that operation on June 19, taking in an array of fish, sharks, clams, shrimp, prawns and tiny snails. — John Donegan Long Beach Post, Arkansas Online, 15 Sep. 2026 Zebra sharks tend to rest on reef floors, regulating bottom-dwelling prey such as snails, clams, crabs, shrimp and small fish, an important part of maintaining thriving ecosystems. — Adriana Pérez, Chicago Tribune, 31 Aug. 2026 That includes September’s Aloha Festivals celebrating Hawaiian traditions and the annual Kāhuli Festival at the Bishop Museum in October, a unique family-friendly event spotlighting the vital role of Hawaiian land snails in preserving biodiversity. — Beth Luberecki, USA Today, 31 Aug. 2026 Scientists rescued 34 endangered humped tree snails from Guam by collecting them in empty peanut butter jars ahead of a powerful typhoon. — Brittney Melton, NPR, 27 Aug. 2026 She and her hundreds of pet snails are visited by a young man named Edward Ridgeway (Alden Ehrenreich) who has been sent by her American publisher to convince her to sign a contract to write one more Ripley novel. — Rebecca Ford, Vanity Fair, 26 Aug. 2026 At Carter Lake, boat inspection checkpoints are now looking for the snails in addition to other invasive species, such as zebra mussels. — Dillon Thomas, CBS News, 19 Aug. 2026 All of this is served with a swirl of rice noodles and a broth scented with the earthy, slightly mushroomy aromas of river snails. — Warren Rojas, Washington Post, 19 Aug. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for snails

Noun

Families can learn about slugs, spiders, vultures and more during Creepy Critters Month at the Knoch Knolls Nature Center, 320 Knoch Knolls Road, a park district news release said.

— Michelle Mullins, Chicago Tribune, 23 Sep. 2026
With the light load of powder that was behind them, these slugs couldn’t possibly have killed the tigress unless an extremely lucky shot had put them into a vital area at very close range.

— Leslie E. Tassell, Outdoor Life, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of slugs

Verb

There’s also a less than 10% chance of showers, if one of the hurricanes crawls farther up the coast, according to Wofford.

— Alex Wigglesworth, Los Angeles Times, 24 Sep. 2026
Hairy-nosed wombat births are hard to spot, as after about a 30-day pregnancy, the joey crawls into its mother’s pouch.

— Devoun Cetoute, Miami Herald, 16 Aug. 2026

Definition of crawls

Noun

The daffodils here were almost finished, apart from one little patch of stragglers still flowering on heroically against the odds.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 15 Sep. 2026
Swarms or stragglers are most likely to be spotted near the Great Lakes shorelines because the lakes help funnel their routes.

— Sarah Moore, Freep.com, 14 Sep. 2026

Definition of stragglers

Verb

For anyone living in a household where someone snores, wakes up with headaches or drags through the day, Jack Black’s candid podcast conversation about his CPAP machine offers a familiar reference point.

— Samantha Agate, Kansas City Star, 25 Sep. 2026
Those votes are increasingly challenging for some GOP senators as the war drags on.

— Burgess Everett, semafor.com, 21 Sep. 2026

Definition of drags

Noun

The crawlers wander about the plants for a short period of time and then begin to feed and create a waxy covering.

— Tim Johnson, Chicago Tribune, 20 Sep. 2026
Giant sectionals gave space for everyone to sit in the first floor living room, with plenty of floor space for crawlers and new walkers to safely explore.

— Tara Massouleh McCay, Southern Living, 4 Sep. 2026

Definition of crawlers

Verb

There’s often a moment leading up to a loss when the doubt creeps in, the confidence gets rattled and the composure gets compromised.

— Omar Kelly, Miami Herald, 20 Sep. 2026
However, if light still creeps in under the door or the edges of windows, try light blocking foam or strips, which may be sold as draft stoppers or weatherproofing materials.

— Sandee LaMotte, CNN Money, 9 Sep. 2026

Definition of creeps

Verb

Bryan gets attacked by a dog, who pokes its head through a barn wall…and then the dog’s face splits apart like a flower, with tentacles shooting out.

— Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 16 Sep. 2026
Natural light pokes through the windows, adding a trademark freshness to an indoor coliseum.

— Alec Lewis, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2026

Definition of pokes

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snail-paced

snails

snake

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“Snails.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/snails. Accessed 2 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of snails

noun

verb

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