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
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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
Joe Marusak, Charlotte Observer, 23 Apr. 2026
Meanwhile, a grim war of attrition continues along the about 1,250-kilometer (800-mile) front line that snakes along eastern and southern areas of Ukraine.
—ABC News, 22 Apr. 2026
The agency said most bites occur between April and October when snakes and humans are most active outdoors.
—Julie Sharp, CBS News, 22 Apr. 2026
About 8,000 people are bitten by venomous snakes annually, and only around five of the people who are bitten typically die, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
—Karen Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 22 Apr. 2026
The big birds prefer seeds, insects, snails and snakes, but the omnivores will also eat pet food and plant seedlings, PetHelpful said.
—Don Sweeney, Sacbee.com, 21 Apr. 2026
At the base of each is a couple feet of mesh that extends 18-inches below ground so rabbits and snakes are kept out.
—Elizabeth Marie Himchak, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Apr. 2026
Annicelli said that Connecticut is home to a wide variety of diverse snakes and reptiles.
—Stephen Underwood, Hartford Courant, 16 Apr. 2026
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
In southwest Russia, where the border with eastern Ukraine snakes down to the Sea of Azov, lies the city of Rostov-on-Don, which serves as the headquarters of Russia’s Southern Military District.
—Sophie Spiegelberger, New Yorker, 24 Feb. 2026
From the mouth of Lake of the Woods, the Warroad River snakes through the middle of the city limits, a few blocks from the headquarters of Marvin Windows and Doors, the employer as synonymous with the town as the sport of hockey.
—Dave Campbell, Chicago Tribune, 6 Feb. 2026
Make the Road Action and New York Communities for Change backed Reynoso over rival Assemblywoman Claire Valdez in the battle for the deep-blue district that snakes through parts of northern Brooklyn and western Queens.
—Chris Sommerfeldt, New York Daily News, 13 Jan. 2026
The skating ribbon at Maggie Daley Park in Chicago is an artificial trail that snakes a quarter-mile around towering climbing walls, with glittering skyscrapers for a backdrop.
—Ginger Crichton, Midwest Living, 9 Jan. 2026
Noun
Huntersville Animal Services officers caught and removed snakes in and around two homes on the same day this week, including a venomous copperhead.
—Joe Marusak, Charlotte Observer, 23 Apr. 2026
Meanwhile, a grim war of attrition continues along the about 1,250-kilometer (800-mile) front line that snakes along eastern and southern areas of Ukraine.
—ABC News, 22 Apr. 2026
The agency said most bites occur between April and October when snakes and humans are most active outdoors.
—Julie Sharp, CBS News, 22 Apr. 2026
About 8,000 people are bitten by venomous snakes annually, and only around five of the people who are bitten typically die, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
—Karen Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 22 Apr. 2026
The big birds prefer seeds, insects, snails and snakes, but the omnivores will also eat pet food and plant seedlings, PetHelpful said.
—Don Sweeney, Sacbee.com, 21 Apr. 2026
At the base of each is a couple feet of mesh that extends 18-inches below ground so rabbits and snakes are kept out.
—Elizabeth Marie Himchak, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Apr. 2026
Annicelli said that Connecticut is home to a wide variety of diverse snakes and reptiles.
—Stephen Underwood, Hartford Courant, 16 Apr. 2026
Verb
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
In southwest Russia, where the border with eastern Ukraine snakes down to the Sea of Azov, lies the city of Rostov-on-Don, which serves as the headquarters of Russia’s Southern Military District.
—Sophie Spiegelberger, New Yorker, 24 Feb. 2026
From the mouth of Lake of the Woods, the Warroad River snakes through the middle of the city limits, a few blocks from the headquarters of Marvin Windows and Doors, the employer as synonymous with the town as the sport of hockey.
—Dave Campbell, Chicago Tribune, 6 Feb. 2026
Make the Road Action and New York Communities for Change backed Reynoso over rival Assemblywoman Claire Valdez in the battle for the deep-blue district that snakes through parts of northern Brooklyn and western Queens.
—Chris Sommerfeldt, New York Daily News, 13 Jan. 2026
The skating ribbon at Maggie Daley Park in Chicago is an artificial trail that snakes a quarter-mile around towering climbing walls, with glittering skyscrapers for a backdrop.
—Ginger Crichton, Midwest Living, 9 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for snakes
Noun
-
Those serpents include six rattlesnake species and non-rattlers, such as the Copperhead, Water Moccasin (or Cottonmouth) and Eastern Coral snakes.—
Andrew J. Campa,
Los Angeles Times,
25 Apr. 2026
-
Laocoön and His Sons, an exquisite marble sculpture of the legendary Trojan priest writhing in agony as he’s attacked by sea-serpents, was first unearthed in the early sixteenth-century, the only missing piece his right arm.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
10 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
In recent years, Ed Sheeran slipped behind the counter, gamely slinging dogs and taking his fair share of abuse from the staff.—
Jimmy Jellinek,
SPIN,
27 Apr. 2026
-
The state law relies on federal oversight, but even those who meet USDA standards can breed dogs in conditions that would shock most of us.—
Annie Hornish,
Hartford Courant,
27 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The president has spent a decade calling his rivals communists and traitors, among other hyperbolic insults.—
Jonathan Chait,
The Atlantic,
28 Apr. 2026
-
Military culture is fiercely self-protective, and soldiers who criticize it are usually treated as traitors.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Boston lurks close behind at +550.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
13 Apr. 2026
-
The Churchill Suite peers over the Ministry of Defence (where Henry VIII’s wine cellar still lurks) and was the locus of military strategising.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
5 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
As the world creeps toward peak travel season, industry leaders are taking notice of the fuel shortages.—
Justin Klawans,
TheWeek,
13 Apr. 2026
-
The bottom line Concentration risk often creeps into your portfolio over time.—
Doug Ashburn,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
2 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Dangerous reptiles like cobras, mambas, vipers, anacondas and rattlesnakes are all banned from private ownership.—
Stephen Underwood,
Hartford Courant,
7 Apr. 2026
-
The animal enthusiast has since fished vipers from beneath houses, underneath baby cribs, the inside of dry wall, the back of a refrigerator, a fire department, a Safeway and scores of other spots.—
Kurtis Alexander,
San Francisco Chronicle,
14 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Ortiz sneaks field recordings and samples into these songs, too—each adding texture to the universe of her songs and evoking the wider world that exists just outside the frame of her narration.—
Marissa Lorusso,
Pitchfork,
24 Mar. 2026
-
But some sunlight still sneaks through Earth’s atmosphere, bends around the planet and lands on the moon.—
Tiffany Acosta,
AZCentral.com,
3 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Think about how often your toddler crawls near the dog bed or your kids toss pet toys around the living room.—
Lauren Jarvis-Gibson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
9 Apr. 2026
-
In the book, Grace drags Rocky back to his part of the ship, exposing himself to the Eridian environment; in the film, Rocky crawls back while Grace is unconscious.—
Matthew Razak,
Space.com,
23 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Snakes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/snakes. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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