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

"When the head of the snake is not cut off, the venom spreads — beyond borders, beyond regions, beyond generations."

From BBC

The third book in the series, which was announced in April last year, will see the return of the fox, snake, owl and of course, the courageous mouse.

From BBC

It was a good place to swim, skip stones, fish, or float a small boat—if you watched out for rocks and didn’t mind the occasional snake.

From Literature

The fog got still thicker, curling around Tiamat's feet like snakes made of smoke.

From Literature

The houses promised by the government were incomplete, the cement still wet, so they slept outdoors at first, terrified of snakes and other wild animals in the bushy new clearing.

From Literature

Related Words

• serpent
• vermin