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  • anaconda
    anaconda
    noun
    a South American boa, Eunectes murinus, that often grows to a length of more than 25 feet (7.6 meters).
  • Anaconda
    Anaconda
    noun
    a city in SW Montana.

anaconda

1 American  
[an-uh-kon-duh] / ˌæn əˈkɒn də /

noun

anacondas plural
  1. a South American boa, Eunectes murinus, that often grows to a length of more than 25 feet (7.6 meters).

  2. any large boa.

  3. Cards. a variety of poker in which each player is dealt seven cards, discards two, and turns up one of the remaining five before each betting round.


Anaconda 2 American  
[an-uh-kon-duh] / ˌæn əˈkɒn də /

noun

  1. a city in SW Montana.


anaconda British  
/ ˌænəˈkɒndə /

noun

  1. a very large nonvenomous arboreal and semiaquatic snake, Eunectes murinus, of tropical South America, which kills its prey by constriction: family Boidae (boas)

"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

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

Etymology

Origin of anaconda

1760–70; misapplication of a name originally used for a snake of Sri Lanka; earlier anacandaia < Sinhalese henakandayā kind of snake

Explanation

An anaconda is an enormous South American boa snake that's a great swimmer. Adult anacondas are large enough to prey on deer, capybaras, and even young jaguars. Anacondas spend most of their time in swamps and rivers. They are non-venomous, constrictor snakes that suffocate their prey and eat it whole. The green anaconda is the largest snake in the world by weight, with females growing up to 500 pounds and about 17 feet long. It is one of very few snakes that is theoretically big enough to eat a human — but that has never happened. Etymologists have various theories about the origin of the word anaconda, including the Tamil anaikkonda, "having killed an elephant."

Keep Reading on Vocabulary.com

Vocabulary lists containing anaconda

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

Karine Aigner spotted a yellow anaconda coiled around the snout of a yacaré caiman while leading a tour group.

From BBC Oct. 8, 2024

The new anaconda species was found while filming with National Geographic for their upcoming Disney+ series Pole to Pole with Will Smith, on which Professor Fry, a National Geographic Explorer, was the expedition's scientific leader.

From Science Daily Feb. 20, 2024

However, in this case, Fry and his coauthors argued that the genetic differences between the three current species of yellow anaconda are not great enough to support separate species status.

From National Geographic Feb. 16, 2024

In 2021, researchers discovered two female California Condors were able to reproduce without males while two years earlier, a female anaconda got pregnant by herself in a Boston aquarium.

From Salon Jun. 10, 2023

“I think if a snake came along, even an anaconda, and you were in harm’s way, that snake wouldn’t stand a chance.”

From "A Bird Will Soar" by Alison Green Myers

Anaconda bought December 2026 and December 2027 Brent futures at the start of the year — on a continuous basis the global benchmark is up 73% this year.

From MarketWatch Apr. 29, 2026

"Anaconda," the new meta comedy action flick starring Paul Rudd and Jack Black as friends trying to reboot the original 1997 horror film, finished in fifth place with $10 million.

From Barron's Jan. 4, 2026

The sheriff's office added that the gunman's home in Anaconda had been searched, and "cleared by SWAT" teams.

From BBC Aug. 1, 2025

“It’s very frustrating because I’m here in Montana trying to organize this search,” Ms. Keltgen, who runs a petting zoo in Anaconda, Mont., said in an interview on Saturday.

From New York Times May 4, 2024

Mr. Hurley resigned from the War Council when he was appointed Chairman of the Shipping Board, and was succeeded by John D. Ryan, President of the Anaconda Copper Mining Company.

From Current History: A Monthly Magazine of the New York Times, May 1918 Vol. VIII, Part I, No. 2 by Various

There, they don’t have to worry about their natural predators, like jaguars and anacondas.

From Slate May 27, 2026

On a swamp called the Floating Forest, deep in the Amazon, Paul Rosolie is looking for anacondas.

From The Wall Street Journal Jan. 29, 2026

Khinjaria acuta is a member of a family of giant marine lizards known as mosasaurs, distant relatives of today's Komodo dragons and anacondas.

From BBC Mar. 5, 2024

"Our team received a rare invitation from the Waorani people to explore the region and collect samples from a population of anacondas, rumoured to be the largest in existence," Professor Fry said.

From Science Daily Feb. 20, 2024

Sleepiness and slothfulness keep it out of harm’s way, away from the notice of jaguars, ocelots, harpy eagles and anacondas.

From "Life of Pi" by Yann Martel

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