snakebite

noun

snake·​bite ˈsnāk-ˌbīt 

: the bite of a snake and especially a venomous snake

Examples of snakebite in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Why This Matters According to the CDC, between 7,000 and 8,000 people are bitten by venomous snakes in the United States every year; deaths caused by snakebites are rare, and will occur in at least five of those cases. —Paul Du Quenoy, Newsweek, 31 Dec. 2024

Many snakebites happen far from medical care, and not all emergency rooms keep costly antivenom in stock, which can add big ambulance bills to already expensive care. —Jackie Fortiér, CBS News, 30 Oct. 2024

Musgraves also shared another photo of the inside of Pepper’s mouth, which showed some bruising as a result of the snakebite. —Elizabeth Stanton, Fox News, 28 Oct. 2024

Gavi now supports stockpiles of outbreak-specific vaccines for cholera, yellow fever, meningococcal disease and Ebola so the countries most affected can focus their health-care resources on chronic disease, snakebites, cancer and HIV, among other conditions. —Tara Haelle, Scientific American, 15 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1839, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

snakebite

noun

snake·​bite -ˌbīt 

: the bite of a snake and especially a poisonous snake

Medical Definition

snakebite

noun

snake·​bite -ˌbīt 

: the bite of a snake

also : the condition resulting from the bite of a venomous snake and characterized by variable symptoms (as pain and swelling at the puncture site, blurred vision, difficulty in breathing, or internal bleeding)