sidewinder

[ sahyd-wahyn-der ]

/ ˈsaɪdˌwaɪn dər /

noun

a severe swinging blow from the side.

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.

any Old World snake that moves by sidewinding, as various species of Bitis and Cerastes.

(initial capital letter) an air-to-air, supersonic weapon that intercepts and destroys enemy aircraft using an infrared homing-guidance system.

Nearby words

Origin of sidewinder

First recorded in 1830–40; side¹ + winder

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for sidewinder

He had read that the sidewinder, or "horned" rattlesnake, was common in the Western deserts.
The Scarlet Lake Mystery|Harold Leland Goodwin
The sidewinder is of a grayish color, mottled with dark blotches.
The Mystic Mid-Region|Arthur J. Burdick
Pete walked over a sidewinder & Bud shot him ten ft. in air.
Cabin Fever|B. M. Bower
Yknow what the sidewinder, Bronco, babbled fore he passed out?
Satan and the Comrades|Ralph Bennitt

Once a sidewinder, almost invisible against the sand, looped away from the intruders with smooth deliberation.
Two Thousand Miles Below|Charles Willard Diffin

British Dictionary definitions for sidewinder

sidewinder

/ (ˈsaɪdˌwaɪndə) /

noun

a North American rattlesnake, Crotalus cerastes, that moves forwards by a sideways looping motion

boxing, US a heavy swinging blow from the side

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

Word Origin and History for sidewinder

sidewinder

small horned rattlesnake of southwestern U.S., 1875, American English, from side (adj.) + agent noun of wind (v.), so called in reference to its "peculiar lateral progressive motion." Also sidewiper (1888).