whipsnake

or whip snake

[ hwip-sneyk, wip- ]

/ ˈʰwɪpˌsneɪk, ˈwɪp- /

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noun

any of several long, slender New World snakes of the genus Masticophis, the tail of which resembles a whip.

any of various similar or related snakes.

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Origin of whipsnake

First recorded in 1765–75; whip + snake

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use whipsnake in a sentence

Volstruis spread out his beautiful wings and swayed from side to side, his beak open and his neck twisting like a whip-snake.
Outa Karel's Stories|Sanni Metelerkamp
Suddenly, a slight hiss, like that of the whip snake, was audible from the top of the tree to which the young man was fastened.
The Trapper's Daughter|Gustave Aimard
The last snake we will mention is the coach-whip snake, belonging to the family of Dryadidae.
The Western World|W.H.G. Kingston
Of the venomous species, there are the golden snake, the whip-snake, and the tamagas—the bite of which is considered deadly.
The Western World|W.H.G. Kingston

The emerald whip snake (Philodryas viridissimus) is one of the most beautiful.
The Western World|W.H.G. Kingston

British Dictionary definitions for whipsnake

whip snake

noun

any of several long slender fast-moving nonvenomous snakes of the colubrid genus Coluber, such as C. hippocrepis (horseshoe whipsnake) of Eurasia

any of various other slender nonvenomous snakes, such as Masticophis flagellum (coachwhip snake) of the US

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