rattlesnake

noun

rat·​tle·​snake ˈra-tᵊl-ˌsnāk 

: any of several American pit vipers (genera Crotalus and Sistrurus) that have horny interlocking joints at the end of the tail which make a sharp rattling sound when shaken

Illustration of rattlesnake

Examples of rattlesnake in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Prairie rattlesnakes have evolved an easy solution to this problem. —Jason Bittel, New York Times, 17 Jan. 2025

Giving 11 venomous snakes a chance to escape inside your office sounds risky, but one of the nation’s top rattlesnake experts did just that to prove a point. —Mark Price, Miami Herald, 3 Jan. 2025

The saga of Biker Jim’s has been as wild and unexpected as the hot dogs themselves, some of them made from reindeer, ostrich, rabbit and rattlesnake meat. —Miguel Otarola, The Denver Post, 4 Dec. 2024

For one thing, rattlesnakes have different fat profiles than Chinese water snakes. —Jordan Friedman, Smithsonian Magazine, 21 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1624, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing rattlesnake

• diamondback rattlesnake
• rattlesnake master
• rattlesnake plantain
• rattlesnake root
• rattlesnake weed
• timber rattlesnake

Kids Definition

rattlesnake

noun

rat·​tle·​snake ˈrat-ᵊl-ˌsnāk 

: any of various poisonous American snakes with a rattle at the end of the tail

Medical Definition

rattlesnake

noun

rat·​tle·​snake ˈrat-ᵊl-ˌsnāk 

: any of the American pit vipers that have a series of horny interlocking joints at the end of the tail which make a sharp rattling sound when vibrated and that comprise the genera Sistrurus and Crotalus see diamondback rattlesnake, tiger rattlesnake, timber rattlesnake