boa constrictor

American  

noun

1. a snake, Constrictor (Boa ) constrictor, of tropical America, noted for its large size and its ability to suffocate a prey by coiling around it.

2. any large snake of the boa family, as the python or anaconda.

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boa constrictor British  

noun

1. a very large snake, Constrictor constrictor , of tropical America and the Caribbean, that kills its prey by constriction: family Boidae (boas)

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Etymology

Origin of boa constrictor

First recorded in 1800–10

Example Sentences

Visitors slid down the pole in “The Fire Cat,” slithered into the gullet of the boa constrictor in “Where the Sidewalk Ends” and lounged in a faux bubble bath in “Harry the Dirty Dog.”

From New York Times • Apr. 1, 2024

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

I’m planning on bringing my boa constrictor to the Lakers game next week.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 22, 2023

“They are truly like a boa constrictor, and they do not beat themselves.”

From Seattle Times • Oct. 7, 2023

Blue walls covered with superhero and comic book posters, a solar system slowly revolved from the ceiling, a stuffed boa constrictor stretched across the foot of his bed.

From "Book Scavenger" by Jennifer Chambliss Bertman