boa constrictor
Americannoun
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a snake, Constrictor (Boa ) constrictor, of tropical America, noted for its large size and its ability to suffocate a prey by coiling around it.
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any large snake of the boa family, as the python or anaconda.
noun
Etymology
Origin of boa constrictor
First recorded in 1800–10
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The list of non-mammalian animals that made their way from south to north includes a boa constrictor, a crocodile and frogs.
From Science Daily • Feb. 20, 2024
“Dominant teams,” Cronin said, “they can really snuff you out like a boa constrictor and then you just go get a layup, which we were able to do tonight.”
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 14, 2024
“They are truly like a boa constrictor, and they do not beat themselves.”
From Seattle Times • Oct. 7, 2023
A five-foot long boa constrictor has been found slithering through a park in south-west London.
From BBC • May 25, 2023
Peter photographed a monument with roots coiled around it, boa constrictor style, five or six feet high.
From "1491" by Charles C. Mann
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
