king cobra

noun

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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Also called hamadryad.

Origin of king cobra

First recorded in 1890–95

Words nearby king cobra

king, king bee, king charles spaniel, king clam, king closer, king cobra, king cotton, king country, king crab, king devil, king fern
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for king cobra

  • As well as he could judge the king-cobra was more than seventeen feet long.

    The Elephant God|Gordon Casserly

  • For the thing that glinted softly was a golden bracelet with the figure of a king-cobra wrought in heavy relief upon it.

    Caravans By Night|Harry Hervey

  • I kept its skin as a companion to the king-cobra we had killed in Buxa.

    Life in an Indian Outpost|Gordon Casserly

British Dictionary definitions for king cobra

king cobra

noun

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 alarmedAlso called: hamadryad
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