snake

American  

[sneyk] / sneɪk /

noun

1. any of numerous limbless, scaly, elongate reptiles of the suborder Serpentes, comprising venomous and nonvenomous species inhabiting tropical and temperate areas.

2. a treacherous person; an insidious enemy.

3. Building Trades.

   1. Also called auger, plumber's snake.  (in plumbing) a device for dislodging obstructions in curved pipes, having a head fed into the pipe at the end of a flexible metal band.

   2. Also called wirepuller.  a length of resilient steel wire, for threading through an electrical conduit so that wire can be pulled through after it.

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verb (used without object)

snaked, snaking

1. to move, twist, or wind.

   The road snakes among the mountains.

verb (used with object)

snaked, snaking

1. to wind or make (one's course, way, etc.) in the manner of a snake.

   to snake one's way through a crowd.

2. to drag or haul, especially by a chain or rope, as a log.

snake British  

/ sneɪk /

noun

1. any reptile of the suborder Ophidia (or Serpentes ), typically having a scaly cylindrical limbless body, fused eyelids, and a jaw modified for swallowing large prey: includes venomous forms such as cobras and rattlesnakes, large nonvenomous constrictors (boas and pythons), and small harmless types such as the grass snake

2. Also called: snake in the grass.  a deceitful or treacherous person

3. anything resembling a snake in appearance or action

4. (in the European Union) a former system of managing a group of currencies by allowing the exchange rate of each of them only to fluctuate within narrow limits

5. a tool in the form of a long flexible wire for unblocking drains

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verb

1. (intr) to glide or move like a snake

2. (tr) to haul (a heavy object, esp a log) by fastening a rope around one end of it

3. (tr) (often foll by out) to pull jerkily

4. (tr) to move in or follow (a sinuous course)

Usage

What else does snake mean? Snake can be slang for a person who acts in a deceitful, underhanded, or backstabbing way.

Other Word Forms

• snakelike adjective

Etymology

Origin of snake

before 1000; Middle English (noun); Old English snaca; cognate with Middle Low German snake, Old Norse snākr

Example Sentences

But I've made incredible memories, sunrises over the ocean, being attacked by a deadly brown snake, and hanging out with bikers.

From BBC

She dreamt of climbing a ladder up to heaven, with an enormous snake lurking beneath it.

From The Wall Street Journal

Well, Wild London is abundant with animal curiosities: from pigeons hopping on to the Hammersmith and City line to a snake colony by a canal.

From BBC

Referring to chlorine dioxide, she said: “We have had examples of this probably throughout the history of medicine. There’s a word for this, it’s called snake oil.”

From Salon

He also told a story about a man who was bit by a venomous snake in Peru and marveled at the crowd’s lack of interest.

From Salon

Related Words

• serpent
• vermin