mamba

American

[mahm-bah] / ˈmɑm bɑ /

noun

any of several long, slender, arboreal snakes of the genus Dendroaspis, of central and southern Africa, the bite of which is often fatal.

mamba British

/ ˈmæmbə /

noun

any aggressive partly arboreal tropical African venomous elapid snake of the genus Dendroaspis, esp D. angusticeps ( green and black mambas )

"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 mamba

1860–65; < Nguni; compare Zulu imamba, izimamba

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:

mamba

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

The 18-time NBA All Star, who died in January 2020 along with daughter Gianna in a helicopter crash, believed the mamba mentality is “a way of life.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 11, 2023

In real life, the enclosure filmed is home to a black mamba snake.

From BBC ● Nov. 20, 2021

In April, Gifford said he was bitten by a West African green mamba while cleaning the enclosures in his home.

From Seattle Times ● Jul. 2, 2021

The mission doctor gave him quinine and vermifuges, which would give pinworms a run for their money, but likely not a green mamba.

From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver

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