copperhead
Americannoun
-
a venomous snake, Agkistrodon (Ancistrodon ) contortrix, of the eastern and southern U.S., having a light-brown to copper-red body marked with darker bands.
-
an extremely venomous but sluggish snake, Denisonia superba, of Australia and Tasmania, having a reddish to black body, depending on the region.
-
Copperhead,
-
U.S. History. a Northern Democrat who opposed the Civil War, advocating peace and restoration of the Union even if slavery continued.
-
Military. a finned, 155 mm cannon-launched U.S. Army artillery shell that homes on the target, using the reflection of a laser beam projected by a forward observer.
-
noun
-
a venomous reddish-brown snake, Agkistrodon contortrix, of the eastern US: family Crotalidae (pit vipers)
-
a venomous reddish-brown Australian elapid snake, Denisonia superba
-
informal a Yankee supporter of the South during the Civil War
Etymology
Origin of copperhead
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 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention note that outdoor workers who step on or near a copperhead are most likely to be bitten.
From National Geographic • Jul. 25, 2023
It wasn't long before she had her own run-ins with the slithering creatures—including a bite she received from a copperhead while doing yardwork.
From Scientific American • Sep. 18, 2022
In one of Greene’s former cases, he met an avid triathlete in her 30s many weeks after she received a copperhead bite on the foot.
From Washington Post • May 31, 2022
Lancaster County resident Jesse Rothacker found the two copperhead snakes on the busy bike trail in the middle of their fall breeding.
From Fox News • Sep. 10, 2019
Jude’s temper flared just a bit as he looked at this friend of his wife’s, this slight woman, not exactly plain, but not fine either, with a copperhead over her eye.
From "Sula" by Toni Morrison
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.
