cobra

¹ American  

[koh-bruh] / ˈkoʊ brə /

noun

1. any of several highly venomous, Old World elapid snakes of the genera Naja and Ophiophagus, characterized by the ability to flatten the neck into a hoodlike form when disturbed.

2. any of several similar, related African snakes, as the ringhals.

3. leather made from the skin of a cobra.

4. Military. Cobra, a single-engine, two-seat U.S. Army attack helicopter armed with missiles, rockets, and a 20 mm cannon and in service since 1977.

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cobra ² American  

[koh-bruh, kob-ruh] / ˈkoʊ brə, ˈkɒb rə /

noun

Australian.

1. head; skull.

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cobra ¹ British  

/ ˈkəʊbrə /

noun

1. any highly venomous elapid snake of the genus Naja, such as N. naja ( Indian cobra ), of tropical Africa and Asia. When alarmed they spread the skin of the neck region into a hood

2. any related snake, such as the king cobra

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COBRA ² British  

/ ˈkəʊbrə /

acronym

1. (in the UK) Cabinet Office Briefing Room A: the civil contingencies committee that leads the UK's responses to crises such as terrorist attacks and epidemics

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Etymology

Origin of cobra¹

First recorded in 1810–20; short for cobra de capello

Origin of cobra²

First recorded in 1825–35, cobra is from the Dharuk word gabarā

Example Sentences

He was at boarding school when he stepped on a cobra in the playground.

From BBC

And even here on the island I had already seen scorpions, cobras, and green mambas, and it always felt like disaster could strike in the blink of an eye.

From Literature

Currently, India has antivenom that only protects against the "big four" snakes - the spectacled cobra, common krait, Russell's viper and the saw-scaled viper - which are believed to be responsible for a majority of the bites.

From BBC

Videos shared on social media show a snake handler removing a snake from her apartment, as people nearby can be heard screaming: "It is a cobra!"

From BBC

Sometimes the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it spits like a cobra.

From BBC