1
as in serpents
a limbless reptile with a long body
snakes are cold-blooded, so they regulate their body temperature by alternately basking in sunlight and seeking shade
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in dogs
a person whose behavior is offensive to others
why, that dirty, rotten snake!
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in traitors
one who betrays a trust or an allegiance
what a snake she was—having an affair with my husband while I was in the hospital!
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of snakes
Dac Collins, Outdoor Life, 30 Apr. 2026
Just like in the Book of Genesis, Satan often takes the form of snakes and reptiles in her songs, as well as rapist, pillager, boyfriend, and, quite often, Amos herself.
—Emma Madden, Pitchfork, 30 Apr. 2026
Two snakes, believed to be cobras, were used in the show, officials said.
—Bonny Chu, FOXNews.com, 29 Apr. 2026
Boan points out turtles, frogs and small snakes slithering off to the side.
—Dewayne Bevil, The Orlando Sentinel, 29 Apr. 2026
Only about 30 percent of all nests evade their many predators, including skunks, opossums, raccoons, coyotes, snakes, and even domestic dogs and cats.
—Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 29 Apr. 2026
Because opossums are common prey for Burmese pythons, scientists expect some of the animals will eventually be eaten, turning them into indirect tracking devices for the snakes.
—Hanna Wickes, Miami Herald, 28 Apr. 2026
Since arriving, the snakes have become top predators in the ecosystem and are severely reducing native mammal populations.
—Hanna Wickes, Kansas City Star, 28 Apr. 2026
Since then, the snakes have become top predators in the ecosystem and have severely reduced native mammal populations.
—Hanna Wickes, Charlotte Observer, 28 Apr. 2026
Literary Hub, 14 Apr. 2026
Londoners won’t queue for just anything, but the coffee and pastries at Jolene are well worth joining the line that often snakes around the corner.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 11 Apr. 2026
To accommodate the mass of passengers, the line snakes through baggage claim and around the terminal.
—Elizabeth Wolfe, CNN Money, 26 Mar. 2026
Miraculously, the line of people that usually snakes down Melrose yearning for a slice of chef Karla Subero Pittol’s passion lime fruit icebox pie is nonexistent today.
—Julissa James, Los Angeles Times, 10 Mar. 2026
In southwest Russia, where the border with eastern Ukraine snakes down to the Sea of Azov, lies the city of Rostov-on-Don, which serves as the headquarters of Russia’s Southern Military District.
—Sophie Spiegelberger, New Yorker, 24 Feb. 2026
From the mouth of Lake of the Woods, the Warroad River snakes through the middle of the city limits, a few blocks from the headquarters of Marvin Windows and Doors, the employer as synonymous with the town as the sport of hockey.
—Dave Campbell, Chicago Tribune, 6 Feb. 2026
Make the Road Action and New York Communities for Change backed Reynoso over rival Assemblywoman Claire Valdez in the battle for the deep-blue district that snakes through parts of northern Brooklyn and western Queens.
—Chris Sommerfeldt, New York Daily News, 13 Jan. 2026
The skating ribbon at Maggie Daley Park in Chicago is an artificial trail that snakes a quarter-mile around towering climbing walls, with glittering skyscrapers for a backdrop.
—Ginger Crichton, Midwest Living, 9 Jan. 2026
Noun
As Burmese pythons continue to eat their way through the South Florida food web, wildlife biologists and researchers have come up with all sorts of ways to track down the giant snakes and slow their spread.
—Dac Collins, Outdoor Life, 30 Apr. 2026
Just like in the Book of Genesis, Satan often takes the form of snakes and reptiles in her songs, as well as rapist, pillager, boyfriend, and, quite often, Amos herself.
—Emma Madden, Pitchfork, 30 Apr. 2026
Two snakes, believed to be cobras, were used in the show, officials said.
—Bonny Chu, FOXNews.com, 29 Apr. 2026
Boan points out turtles, frogs and small snakes slithering off to the side.
—Dewayne Bevil, The Orlando Sentinel, 29 Apr. 2026
Only about 30 percent of all nests evade their many predators, including skunks, opossums, raccoons, coyotes, snakes, and even domestic dogs and cats.
—Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 29 Apr. 2026
Because opossums are common prey for Burmese pythons, scientists expect some of the animals will eventually be eaten, turning them into indirect tracking devices for the snakes.
—Hanna Wickes, Miami Herald, 28 Apr. 2026
Since arriving, the snakes have become top predators in the ecosystem and are severely reducing native mammal populations.
—Hanna Wickes, Kansas City Star, 28 Apr. 2026
Since then, the snakes have become top predators in the ecosystem and have severely reduced native mammal populations.
—Hanna Wickes, Charlotte Observer, 28 Apr. 2026
Verb
Another car snakes down the road.
—Literary Hub, 14 Apr. 2026
Londoners won’t queue for just anything, but the coffee and pastries at Jolene are well worth joining the line that often snakes around the corner.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 11 Apr. 2026
To accommodate the mass of passengers, the line snakes through baggage claim and around the terminal.
—Elizabeth Wolfe, CNN Money, 26 Mar. 2026
Miraculously, the line of people that usually snakes down Melrose yearning for a slice of chef Karla Subero Pittol’s passion lime fruit icebox pie is nonexistent today.
—Julissa James, Los Angeles Times, 10 Mar. 2026
In southwest Russia, where the border with eastern Ukraine snakes down to the Sea of Azov, lies the city of Rostov-on-Don, which serves as the headquarters of Russia’s Southern Military District.
—Sophie Spiegelberger, New Yorker, 24 Feb. 2026
From the mouth of Lake of the Woods, the Warroad River snakes through the middle of the city limits, a few blocks from the headquarters of Marvin Windows and Doors, the employer as synonymous with the town as the sport of hockey.
—Dave Campbell, Chicago Tribune, 6 Feb. 2026
Make the Road Action and New York Communities for Change backed Reynoso over rival Assemblywoman Claire Valdez in the battle for the deep-blue district that snakes through parts of northern Brooklyn and western Queens.
—Chris Sommerfeldt, New York Daily News, 13 Jan. 2026
The skating ribbon at Maggie Daley Park in Chicago is an artificial trail that snakes a quarter-mile around towering climbing walls, with glittering skyscrapers for a backdrop.
—Ginger Crichton, Midwest Living, 9 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for snakes
Noun
-
Those serpents include six rattlesnake species and non-rattlers, such as the Copperhead, Water Moccasin (or Cottonmouth) and Eastern Coral snakes.—
Andrew J. Campa,
Los Angeles Times,
25 Apr. 2026
-
Laocoön and His Sons, an exquisite marble sculpture of the legendary Trojan priest writhing in agony as he’s attacked by sea-serpents, was first unearthed in the early sixteenth-century, the only missing piece his right arm.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
10 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
In recent years, Ed Sheeran slipped behind the counter, gamely slinging dogs and taking his fair share of abuse from the staff.—
Jimmy Jellinek,
SPIN,
27 Apr. 2026
-
The state law relies on federal oversight, but even those who meet USDA standards can breed dogs in conditions that would shock most of us.—
Annie Hornish,
Hartford Courant,
27 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The president has spent a decade calling his rivals communists and traitors, among other hyperbolic insults.—
Jonathan Chait,
The Atlantic,
28 Apr. 2026
-
Military culture is fiercely self-protective, and soldiers who criticize it are usually treated as traitors.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Las Vegas is the favorite, but in our view, Kansas City lurks as a dark horse.—
Jon Wilner,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
29 Apr. 2026
-
Boston lurks close behind at +550.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
13 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Mildew creeps along the corners of the tub.—
Lauren Jarvis-Gibson,
Charlotte Observer,
30 Apr. 2026
-
Win it, and suddenly the series tightens, the doubt creeps in and the path gets a lot more complicated for Orlando.—
Mike Bianchi,
The Orlando Sentinel,
28 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Dangerous reptiles like cobras, mambas, vipers, anacondas and rattlesnakes are all banned from private ownership.—
Stephen Underwood,
Hartford Courant,
7 Apr. 2026
-
The animal enthusiast has since fished vipers from beneath houses, underneath baby cribs, the inside of dry wall, the back of a refrigerator, a fire department, a Safeway and scores of other spots.—
Kurtis Alexander,
San Francisco Chronicle,
14 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Ortiz sneaks field recordings and samples into these songs, too—each adding texture to the universe of her songs and evoking the wider world that exists just outside the frame of her narration.—
Marissa Lorusso,
Pitchfork,
24 Mar. 2026
-
But some sunlight still sneaks through Earth’s atmosphere, bends around the planet and lands on the moon.—
Tiffany Acosta,
AZCentral.com,
3 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Think about how often your toddler crawls near the dog bed or your kids toss pet toys around the living room.—
Lauren Jarvis-Gibson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
9 Apr. 2026
-
In the book, Grace drags Rocky back to his part of the ship, exposing himself to the Eridian environment; in the film, Rocky crawls back while Grace is unconscious.—
Matthew Razak,
Space.com,
23 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Snakes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/snakes. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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