1
as in serpents
a limbless reptile with a long body
snakes are cold-blooded, so they regulate their body temperature by alternately basking in sunlight and seeking shade
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in dogs
a person whose behavior is offensive to others
why, that dirty, rotten snake!
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in traitors
one who betrays a trust or an allegiance
what a snake she was—having an affair with my husband while I was in the hospital!
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of snakes
Sonia Osorio, Miami Herald, 11 June 2026
Overhead looms The Claw, a four-sided mass that arcs more than 90 feet (27 meters) into the air and features lights, speakers, thick snakes of wiring and four large screens so fans not seated right next to the Octagon can follow the cage fighting below.
—ABC News, 11 June 2026
Cute names and impressive numbers aside, the snakes did not choose to be here, and the python invasion has decimated ecosystems in South Florida.
—Bill Kearney, Sun Sentinel, 11 June 2026
China has deployed robotic snakes to inspect power lines and help ensure a stable electricity supply.
—Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 11 June 2026
Cain reiterates that given space, snakes can coexist with people.
—Sophie Lindberg, Kansas City Star, 10 June 2026
Jacob Whitehead, New York Times, 27 May 2026
The plaster, cave-like living room (complete with a cozy fireplace) served as a backdrop for trivia night; the ice-cold creek, which snakes along the five-acre property, was our personal swimming spot to chase off the heat of the day.
—Aemilia Madden, Vogue, 27 May 2026
Valdez is the surprising leader in the district that snakes through northern Brooklyn and western Queens, including some of the most progressive neighborhoods in the entire nation.
—Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 27 May 2026
Legislation in Louisiana seeks to address the Supreme Court ruling by scrapping a district that snakes over 200 miles (321 kilometers) northwest from the capital, Baton Rouge, to Shreveport, creating a voting bloc with a majority of Black residents.
—ABC News, 14 May 2026
Another car snakes down the road.
—Literary Hub, 14 Apr. 2026
Londoners won’t queue for just anything, but the coffee and pastries at Jolene are well worth joining the line that often snakes around the corner.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 11 Apr. 2026
To accommodate the mass of passengers, the line snakes through baggage claim and around the terminal.
—Elizabeth Wolfe, CNN Money, 26 Mar. 2026
Miraculously, the line of people that usually snakes down Melrose yearning for a slice of chef Karla Subero Pittol’s passion lime fruit icebox pie is nonexistent today.
—Julissa James, Los Angeles Times, 10 Mar. 2026
Noun
The achievement marks a new milestone in the fight against the giant snakes, which are considered one of the greatest threats to the Everglades ecosystem because of their ability to prey on mammals, birds and other native wildlife.
—Sonia Osorio, Miami Herald, 11 June 2026
Overhead looms The Claw, a four-sided mass that arcs more than 90 feet (27 meters) into the air and features lights, speakers, thick snakes of wiring and four large screens so fans not seated right next to the Octagon can follow the cage fighting below.
—ABC News, 11 June 2026
Cute names and impressive numbers aside, the snakes did not choose to be here, and the python invasion has decimated ecosystems in South Florida.
—Bill Kearney, Sun Sentinel, 11 June 2026
China has deployed robotic snakes to inspect power lines and help ensure a stable electricity supply.
—Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 11 June 2026
Cain reiterates that given space, snakes can coexist with people.
—Sophie Lindberg, Kansas City Star, 10 June 2026
Verb
The River Caqueta snakes nearly 1,800 miles into the heart of the Amazon rainforest.
—Jacob Whitehead, New York Times, 27 May 2026
The plaster, cave-like living room (complete with a cozy fireplace) served as a backdrop for trivia night; the ice-cold creek, which snakes along the five-acre property, was our personal swimming spot to chase off the heat of the day.
—Aemilia Madden, Vogue, 27 May 2026
Valdez is the surprising leader in the district that snakes through northern Brooklyn and western Queens, including some of the most progressive neighborhoods in the entire nation.
—Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 27 May 2026
Legislation in Louisiana seeks to address the Supreme Court ruling by scrapping a district that snakes over 200 miles (321 kilometers) northwest from the capital, Baton Rouge, to Shreveport, creating a voting bloc with a majority of Black residents.
—ABC News, 14 May 2026
Another car snakes down the road.
—Literary Hub, 14 Apr. 2026
Londoners won’t queue for just anything, but the coffee and pastries at Jolene are well worth joining the line that often snakes around the corner.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 11 Apr. 2026
To accommodate the mass of passengers, the line snakes through baggage claim and around the terminal.
—Elizabeth Wolfe, CNN Money, 26 Mar. 2026
Miraculously, the line of people that usually snakes down Melrose yearning for a slice of chef Karla Subero Pittol’s passion lime fruit icebox pie is nonexistent today.
—Julissa James, Los Angeles Times, 10 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for snakes
Noun
-
Frenzied shapes—sparks, ribbons, spirals, glyphs, shadowy crosses, serpents—float among them through an undefined ether, as if transmitting cryptic information.—
Alice Gregory,
New Yorker,
16 Nov. 2025
-
The range of the monster drawings included primitive people, giant spiders, serpents, snails and fantastical fish.—
Jaden Thompson,
Footwear News,
22 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
The parasite has the cattle and dairy industry on edge, but in Mexico, screwworm has also been found in bears, pigs, goats, and even dogs and cats.—
John Lauritsen,
CBS News,
16 June 2026
-
Keep dogs under control Your dog may be friendly.—
Amber Harding OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
16 June 2026
Noun
-
Both groups were accused of being spies, traitors and collaborators, according to the report.—
Sam Metz,
Los Angeles Times,
9 June 2026
-
When news of Israel’s secret outposts in Iraq’s desert emerged, Iraqis admonished their leaders as traitors, and the boisterous militiamen affiliated with the government as impostors for allowing their land to be colonized by an enemy.—
Nabil Salih,
Time,
26 May 2026
Verb
-
Nakobe Dean has somehow emerged from a major injury even better, Zack Baun remains a difference-maker in a way that’s expected each week, and Jihaad Campbell lurks as a reliable option.—
Zach Berman,
New York Times,
19 Nov. 2025
-
Meanwhile, a manipulative judge, Roland Brack (Nicholas Pinnock), lurks around the fringes, hoping to seduce or even blackmail the electrically attractive Hedda.—
Stephanie Zacharek,
Time,
22 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
As winter weather creeps in, several road construction projects around Milwaukee are set to pause until spring.—
Cailey Gleeson,
jsonline.com,
17 Nov. 2025
-
And now, as the sea level creeps inexorably upward and warmer oceans brew stronger storms, the dynamic intensifies.—
Bill McKibben,
New Yorker,
12 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Dangerous reptiles like cobras, mambas, vipers, anacondas and rattlesnakes are all banned from private ownership.—
Stephen Underwood,
Hartford Courant,
7 Apr. 2026
-
Other shipments sent by Lin included alligator lizards, venomous green tree vipers and palm pit vipers, all protected by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora.—
Marc Ramirez,
USA Today,
30 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
Bunch of virtue signaling clowns!—
Zach Dean OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
15 June 2026
-
The tumbles and trust falls might start to scare you, but this is hardly these clowns’ first rodeo.—
Sara Holdren,
Vulture,
14 June 2026
Verb
-
Fans are less tame, however, when Mamdani sneaks into the bar through a side entrance with New York City’s First Lady, Rama Duwaji.—
Melanie Anzidei,
New York Times,
26 May 2026
-
Pedersen routinely sneaks in extra sessions in the batting cage and in the gym.—
Sam Brief,
Chicago Tribune,
12 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Snakes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/snakes. Accessed 17 Jun. 2026.
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