snail's pace

American  

noun

1. an extremely slow rate.

   The work progresses at a snail's pace.

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snail's pace British  

noun

1. a very slow or sluggish speed or rate

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snail's pace Idioms  

1. A very slow pace, as in They're making progress with testing the new vaccine, but at a snail's pace. [c. 1400]

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Etymology

Origin of snail's pace

late Middle English word dating back to 1400–50

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

snail's pace

But more than six months after the announcement, the status quo remains undisturbed as the DNC’s Middle East Working Group proceeds at a snail’s pace.

From Salon ● Mar. 27, 2026

Not that this was snail's pace law-making, far from it.

From BBC ● Apr. 12, 2025

The railway line, China’s flagship infrastructure project in the region, has been snarled by regulatory and other issues and progressed at a snail’s pace during five years of work.

From New York Times ● May 9, 2024

That means the economy is not in a technical recession, though it’s expanding at a snail’s pace.

From Seattle Times ● Mar. 10, 2024

He fixed his gaze upon a white sunshade that was advancing at snail’s pace from the beach.

From "The Awakening" by Kate Chopin