constrictor
Americannoun
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a snake that kills its prey by coiling tightly around it, causing suffocation.
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Anatomy. a muscle that constricts a hollow part of the body, as the pharynx.
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a person or thing that constricts.
noun
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any of various nonvenomous snakes, such as the pythons, boas, and anaconda, that coil around and squeeze their prey to kill it
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any muscle that constricts or narrows a canal or passage; sphincter
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a person or thing that constricts
Etymology
Origin of constrictor
From New Latin, dating back to 1700–10; see origin at constrict, -tor
Explanation
Snakes that kill their prey by squeezing them to death are known as constrictors. The most well-known of these is the huge boa constrictor. Most constrictors aren't venomous, but instead use their powerful coils to subdue animals, wrapping their bodies in loops around their prey. The process of constriction can take a while, in part because constrictors keep tabs on their victim's heartbeat, waiting for it to slow. Rather than crushing or suffocating prey, these big snakes constrict their blood from flowing — which is the source of their name, from a Latin root meaning "compress."
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 global rise in bond yields is like a boa constrictor squeezing the Budget maths, slowly and relentlessly, occasionally loosening its grip, but never actually slithering away entirely.
From BBC ● Sep. 7, 2026
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
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 T cell attack seemed to incite oligodendrocytes to strangulate axons like a constrictor snake" Martini adds.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 28, 2023
“I can’t prove who the snake belonged to,” Mr. Crabtree said, “and even if I could, why would I? It wasn’t a boa constrictor, you know, and it was dead to begin with.”
From "The Best School Year Ever" by Barbara Robinson
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.
