boa
Americannoun
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boas
plural
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any of several nonvenomous, chiefly tropical constrictors of the family Boidae, having vestigial hind limbs at the base of the tail.
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a scarf or stole of feathers, fur, or fabric.
noun
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any large nonvenomous snake of the family Boidae , most of which occur in Central and South America and the Caribbean. They have vestigial hind limbs and kill their prey by constriction
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a woman's long thin scarf, usually of feathers or fur
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of boa
1350–1400; Middle English < Latin: water adder
Explanation
A boa is a type of snake that squeezes its prey. It's also a fluffy, feathered, colorful scarf. Don't confuse the two and wear a snake as a scarf! There are two types of boas: one is usually dangerous, and one is sometimes fashionable. The boa is a type of enormous serpent (also known as a boa constrictor) that squeezes its victims to death. Boas are mainly found in tropical regions. If you see a boa outside a zoo, you're in deep trouble. The other type of boa is more silly than scary: it's a long thin scarf that has either feathers or fur. If you are shopping for a boa, try to avoid coming home with the reptilian variety.
Vocabulary lists containing boa
Mixed Up
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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.
See Examples For:
Powell compared China’s naval strategy around Taiwan to that of a boa constrictor, moving slowly to overpower its rival, rather than striking dramatically as a viper might.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 24, 2026
Dame Karen stood out in the largely male and often stale world of Washington in her colourful tailor-made suits, occasionally complemented with a feather boa.
From BBC ● Feb. 8, 2025
"Each test is specific to a different snake species and was designed to detect DNA from the Burmese python, northern African rock python, rainbow boa and boa constrictor, ensuring no cross-detection among species."
From Science Daily ● Nov. 22, 2024
At 7 p.m. on the dot, drag queen Jupiter Genesis kicked off the show, wearing a layered purple boa and a metallic bustier.
From Slate ● Nov. 2, 2024
The icy water clutched again at his body like a giant hand; the chill of it squeezed him like the circling coils of a monstrous boa constrictor.
From "Native Son" by Richard Wright
Using powerful microscopes, the researchers discovered that species such as ball pythons, Angolan pythons, and Madagascan tree boas produce urates made up of tiny textured spheres between 1 and 10 micrometers across.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 25, 2025
We went out back and put boas on and we had our moment.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2025
“I have advice for you. How about put some wigs on, get some boas, and go have real fun.”
From Salon ● May 2, 2024
Little disco balls have trended up in recent years, and feather boas were in limited supply because of supply chain issues, Cobb said.
From Seattle Times ● Sep. 30, 2023
She even came over to my house once that spring, but her feather boas weren’t a good match for my farm, so she hasn’t ever been back.
From "Because of Mr. Terupt" by Rob Buyea
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.
