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
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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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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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
-
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
-
The 10-week-old Boxer has since been treated for Parvovirus — a highly contagious and potentially fatal viral illness that primarily affects young puppies and unvaccinated dogs — in the organization's specialized ICU and is available for adoption at the Sunnyslope Campus in Phoenix.—
Desiree Anello,
PEOPLE,
8 June 2026
-
Dog dumping has become such a problem that the Hartford Animal Shelter in partnership with the Hartford Police Department said it may be forced to start euthanizing healthy dogs as the shelter reaches capacity.—
Stephen Underwood,
Hartford Courant,
8 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
-
Yet despite its reputation, this isn’t a bloodthirsty murder-bird that lurks in the rainforests waiting for its next victim.—
Scott Travers,
Forbes.com,
6 June 2026
-
At the heart of our home galaxy lurks a gigantic black hole that’s more than a trillion times heavier than Earth, with all that mass stuffed into a region that is about 2,000 times wider than our planet.—
Jeanna Bryner,
Scientific American,
4 June 2026
Verb
-
Cleary asks people to pay attention to which feelings keep surfacing and when—anger that flares every evening, say, or loneliness that creeps in at night.—
Angela Haupt,
Time,
10 June 2026
-
When the temperature creeps above 90°F, light, airy fragrances are the move.—
Ariel Wodarcyk,
InStyle,
6 June 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
Noun
-
Grotesque sea hags, killer clowns, demonic self-help books and more plague the town and its mayor, Tom Loftis (Matthew Rhys).—
Erik Kain,
Forbes.com,
29 May 2026
-
The four paintings are Joan Miró’s Composition (1953), Maurice Utrillo’s Maison de rendez-vous de chasse de Henri IV, rue Saint-Vincent, Montmartre (1934), Balthus’s Etude pour femme couchée (1948), and Pablo Picasso’s L’Ecuyere et les clowns (1961).—
Daniel Cassady,
ARTnews.com,
6 May 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
-
This bucket crossbody bag satisfies both in a minimalist silhouette, which sneaks in luxurious details like nappa leather trims, protective metal feet, and a secure zipper top closure.—
Olivia Cigliano,
InStyle,
26 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Snakes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/snakes. Accessed 14 Jun. 2026.
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