snail

1 of 2

noun

ˈsnāl 

1

: a gastropod mollusk especially when having an external enclosing spiral shell

2

: a slow-moving or sluggish person or thing

snaillike

ˈsnāl-ˌlīk 

adjective

snail

2 of 2

verb

snailed; snailing; snails

intransitive verb

: to move, act, or go slowly or lazily

Synonyms

Noun

• crawler
• dallier
• dawdler
• dragger
• laggard
• lagger
• lingerer
• loiterer
• plodder
• slowpoke
• straggler

Verb

• crawl
• creak (along)
• creep
• drag
• inch
• limp
• nose
• ooze
• plod
• poke
• slouch

Examples of snail in a Sentence

Noun

go and tell the snails in the back to hurry up

Verb

the highway construction work created a bottleneck that had cars snailing for the next five miles

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

As the tiny plants emerge, keep a sharp eye out for birds, gophers, snails and slugs who might find the seedlings tasty, Shepherd said. —Jeanette Marantos, Los Angeles Times, 1 Nov. 2024

If the rooster isn’t your speed there’s other options available including a cow, fish, snail, and more. —Megan Wahn, Architectural Digest, 24 Oct. 2024

Verb

The hour track is smooth, the minute track is snailed and the central area of the dial is finished with a vertical brush. —Anthony Demarco, Forbes, 23 Oct. 2024

Movement components reveal classical decoration, including Côtes de Genève, beveling, and snailing. —Nancy Olson, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, from Old English snægl; akin to Old High German snecko snail, snahhan to creep

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1582, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing snail

• at a snail's pace
• moon snail
• snail darter
• snail fever
• snail mail
• snail-paced
• snail's pace

Kids Definition

snail

noun

ˈsnā(ə)l

1

: any of numerous small mollusks that are gastropods usually with a spiral shell and that include some living on land and others living in water

2

: a slow-moving person or thing

Medical Definition

snail

noun

ˈsnā(ə)l 

: any of various gastropod mollusks and especially those having an external enclosing spiral shell including some which are important in medicine as intermediate hosts of trematodes