1
: any of numerous limbless scaled reptiles (suborder Serpentes synonym Ophidia) with a long tapering body and with salivary glands often modified to produce venom which is injected through grooved or tubular fangs
2
: a worthless or treacherous fellow
3
: something (such as a plumber's snake) resembling a snake
snaked; snaking
1
: to wind (one's way, one's body in crawling, etc.) in the manner of a snake
2
: to move (something, such as logs) by dragging
: to crawl, move, or extend silently, secretly, or sinuously
Examples of snake in a Sentence
Noun
I thought she was my friend, but she turned out to be a snake in the grass.
snakes are cold-blooded, so they regulate their body temperature by alternately basking in sunlight and seeking shade
Verb
The road snakes through the mountains.
Cables snaked across the floor.
Technicians snaked cables through the set.
He snaked his way through the crowd.
Recent Examples on the Web
Scott Travers, Forbes.com, 25 Apr. 2025
The color change likely helps young snakes blend into their preferred rocky habitat and older snakes blend into their preferred forest habitat.
—Aspen Pflughoeft, Miami Herald, 23 Apr. 2025
Jasmine Baehr, FOXNews.com, 19 Apr. 2025
New York declined to accept the first two hammers, cutting the team’s lead to a single point, before Horschel’s long putt snaked into the hole at the 14th to give Atlanta a dramatic lead.
—George Ramsay, CNN Money, 26 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for snake
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Noun
These snakes have taken infrared detection to another level.
—Scott Travers, Forbes.com, 25 Apr. 2025
The color change likely helps young snakes blend into their preferred rocky habitat and older snakes blend into their preferred forest habitat.
—Aspen Pflughoeft, Miami Herald, 23 Apr. 2025
Verb
In New York, marchers snaked their way past Trump Tower Saturday.
—Jasmine Baehr, FOXNews.com, 19 Apr. 2025
New York declined to accept the first two hammers, cutting the team’s lead to a single point, before Horschel’s long putt snaked into the hole at the 14th to give Atlanta a dramatic lead.
—George Ramsay, CNN Money, 26 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for snake
Cite this Entry
“Snake.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/snake. Accessed 29 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
snake
1 of 2 noun1
: any of numerous limbless reptiles that have a long body and salivary glands often capable of producing venom which is injected through fangs
2
: a mean or treacherous person
snake
2 of 2 verb
snaked; snaking
: to crawl, wind, or move like a snake
Medical Definition
snake
noun
: any of numerous limbless scaled reptiles (suborder Serpentes synonym Ophidia) with a long tapering body and with salivary glands often modified to produce venom which is injected through grooved or tubular fangs
Geographical Definition
Snake
geographical name
river 1038 miles (1670 kilometers) long in the northwestern U.S. flowing from northwestern Wyoming across southern Idaho and into the Columbia River in Washington
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