garter snake

American

noun

any of numerous harmless snakes of the genus Thamnophis, common in North and Central America, ranging in size from 14 to 30 inches (36 to 76 centimeters) and typically having three longitudinal stripes on the back.

garter snake British

noun

any nonvenomous North American colubrid snake of the genus Thamnophis, typically marked with longitudinal stripes

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of garter snake

An Americanism dating back to 1760–70

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:

garter snake

Official snake: The giant garter snake is recognized as the official snake of California.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 1, 2026

When mice invaded his house, he didn’t poison them but enlisted the help of a garter snake he found outside.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2025

Lacking Spotify, they decided to pass the time by undertaking “an enumeration and actual count” of road-killed animals—a battered weasel here, a flattened garter snake there.

From Slate ● May 25, 2024

They regularly captured snakes in the 250-hectare study area, using identifying markings to track more than 3000 individuals over a 12-year span—about the lifetime of a garter snake.

From Science Magazine ● Dec. 15, 2023

She was pointing into the moat, and I followed her finger and could see the little garter snake skirting along the surface, swimming beneath a floodlight’s skirt.

From "Paper Towns" by John Green

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023