rat snake

American  

noun

1. any of several New and Old World colubrid snakes, of the genus Elaphe, that feed chiefly on small mammals and birds.

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rat snake British  

noun

1. any of various nonvenomous rodent-eating colubrid snakes, such as Elaphe obsoleta of North America and Ptyas mucosus of Asia

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Etymology

Origin of rat snake

First recorded in 1855–60

Compare meaning

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

• rat snake vs. corn snake

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

rat snake

A TikTok of “The Traitors” and “Love Island” cast member Rob Rausch handling a rat snake.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 5, 2026

But now in his dreams, he'll be stepping over a snake and think, “Oh, that's a rat snake or that's a coral” and just walk away.

From Scientific American ● Sep. 18, 2022

A cart attendant at a Walmart in Texas got quite the scare on Friday after discovering a large rat snake in a group of shopping carts.

From Fox News ● May 27, 2019

Don’t be surprised if after reading “Squirm,” your young reader tells you the safest way to handle a yellow rat snake or scare off a grizzly.

From New York Times ● Nov. 9, 2018

I go into Caroline Clayton's house looking for the hammer she borrowed from me six months before, and there's a by-God rat snake slitherin' across the kitchen.

From "An Abundance of Katherines" by John Green