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water snake

American

noun

any of numerous and widely distributed harmless snakes of the genus Natrix, inhabiting areas in or near fresh water.
any of various other snakes living in or frequenting water.
Astronomy. Water Snake, the constellation Hydrus.

water snake British

noun

any of various colubrid snakes that live in or near water, esp any of numerous harmless North American snakes of the genus Natrix, such as N. sipedon

"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

Etymology

Origin of water snake

First recorded in 1595–1605

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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.

Bottles of water are available in stores, but many residents, impoverished by war, depend on bottled water donations from abroad, even as pools of water snake onto streets from leaking mains.

From Reuters • Oct. 22, 2022

A water snake blocked the entrance to the home.

From Washington Post • Aug. 31, 2021

According to the Observer, the snake was identified as a nonvenomous brown water snake by the North Carolina Zoo.

From Fox News • Jun. 6, 2019

“The Essex Serpent,” published last year, revolved around the existence of a monstrous water snake off the coast of East Anglia.

From New York Times • Oct. 26, 2018

I turned on her like a red-bellied water snake.

From "Jacob Have I Loved" by Katherine Paterson

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023