king cobra

American  

noun

1. a cobra, Ophiophagus hannah, of southeastern Asia and the East Indies, that grows to a length of more than 15 feet (5 meters): the largest of the venomous snakes.

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king cobra British  

noun

1. Also called: hamadryad.  a very large venomous tropical Asian elapid snake, Ophiophagus hannah, that feeds on snakes and other reptiles and extends its neck into a hood when alarmed

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Etymology

Origin of king cobra

First recorded in 1890–95

Compare meaning

How does king-cobra compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• king snake vs. king cobra

Example Sentences

In their first adventure, which hit bookshelves in 2017, a deadly king cobra has escaped from London Zoo onto the streets of the capital, and it is up to Toto to save the day.

From BBC • Oct. 21, 2025

Jardine, Khalek and their colleagues tested the effect of 95Mat5 on mice injected with toxins from the many-banded krait, Indian spitting cobra, black mamba and king cobra.

From Science Daily • Feb. 21, 2024

In October, a venomous king cobra escaped from its terrarium at a zoo in Sweden but returned by itself after a week.

From Seattle Times • Dec. 15, 2022

From inch-long geckos to the iconic king cobra, at least 1,829 species of reptiles, including lizards, snakes, turtles and crocodiles, are threatened, the study found.

From New York Times • Apr. 27, 2022

Ahead on the path—leisurely, like nothing else, a cobra reared, a king cobra, as great as any of these.

From Son of Power by Comfort, Will Levington