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sidewinder

[ sahyd-wahyn-der ]

noun

  1. a severe swinging blow from the side.
  2. a rattlesnake, Crotalus cerastes, of southwestern U.S. and northern Mexico, that has a hornlike projection over each eye and that moves in loose sand by raising loops on the body and displacing them sideways.
  3. any Old World snake that moves by sidewinding, as various species of Bitis and Cerastes.
  4. (initial capital letter) an air-to-air, supersonic weapon that intercepts and destroys enemy aircraft using an infrared homing-guidance system.


sidewinder

/ ˈsaɪdˌwaɪndə /

noun

  1. a North American rattlesnake, Crotalus cerastes, that moves forwards by a sideways looping motion
  2. boxing a heavy swinging blow from the side
  3. a US air-to-air missile using infrared homing aids in seeking its target
“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


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Word History and Origins

Origin of sidewinder1

First recorded in 1830–40; side 1 + winder
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Example Sentences

The Raptor carries six AMRAAMs and two shorter range AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles inside its weapons bays.

The sidewinder is of a grayish color, mottled with dark blotches.

One man carried at the same time two small sidewinder rattlesnakes in his mouth.

Yknow what the sidewinder, Bronco, babbled fore he passed out?

Pete walked over a sidewinder & Bud shot him ten ft. in air.

Once a sidewinder, almost invisible against the sand, looped away from the intruders with smooth deliberation.

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