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spitting cobra

American

noun

any cobra or cobralike snake, especially the ringhals, that sprays venom at the eyes of approaching animals.

Etymology

Origin of spitting cobra

First recorded in 1905–10

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.

Carse produced a lifter to Usman Khawaja so venomous it could have been a spitting cobra.

From BBC • Nov. 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

The zoo is home to species including an African grey parrot, a vervet monkey, giant lizards known as Nile monitors, a desert tortoise, a horned viper snake and a Nubian spitting cobra.

From Seattle Times • May 10, 2023

A monocled cobra, a West African spitting cobra and a timber rattlesnake were found at a home in Cresaptown, state Natural Resources Police said.

From Washington Post • Jul. 24, 2015

His head is shaped like a pear standing on its stem and has two eyes spaced about six inches apart and they are as friendly as those of a spitting cobra irked by hives.

From Operation Earthworm by Archibald, Joe

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