Snake — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

noun verb /ˈsnāk/

Meaning & Definition of Snake

Snake (noun)

  1. any of numerous limbless scaled reptiles (suborder Serpentes synonym Ophidia) with a long tapering body and with salivary glands often modified to produce venom which is injected through grooved or tubular fangs
  2. a worthless or treacherous fellow
  3. something (such as a plumber's snake) resembling a snake

Snake (verb)

  1. to wind (one's way, one's body in crawling, etc.) in the manner of a snake
  2. to move (something, such as logs) by dragging
  3. to crawl, move, or extend silently, secretly, or sinuously

Snake (noun) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. 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"

    similar: serpent, viper
    related: adder, anaconda, asp, black racer, blacksnake, blue racer, boa, bull snake, bushmaster, chicken snake, cobra, constrictor, copperhead, coral snake, cottonmouth moccasin, diamondback rattlesnake, fer-de-lance, garter snake, gopher snake, green snake, hognose snake, horned viper, indigo snake, king cobra, king snake, krait, mamba, milk snake, moccasin, pine snake, pit viper, puff adder, python, racer, rat snake, rattlesnake, sea serpent, sea snake, sidewinder, taipan, water moccasin, water snake, worm snake

  2. a person whose behavior is offensive to others

    "why, that dirty, rotten snake!"

    similar: bastard, beast, bleeder (British), blighter (chiefly British), boor, bounder, bugger, buzzard, cad, chuff, churl, clown, creep, cretin, crud (slang), crumb (slang), cur, dirtbag (slang), dog, fink, heel, hound, jerk, joker, louse, lout, pill, rat, rat fink, reptile, rotter, schmuck (slang), scum, scumbag (slang), scuzzball (slang), skunk, sleaze, sleazebag (slang), sleazeball (slang), slime, slimeball (slang), slob, so-and-so, sod (chiefly British), stinkard, stinker, swine, toad, varmint, vermin, son of a gun
    related: barbarian, brute, caveman, Neanderthal, savage, loudmouth, vulgarian, lowlife, miscreant, rascal, rogue, roughneck, scab, scamp, scoundrel, villain, wretch, booby, doofus (slang), fool, jackass, nincompoop, ninny, nit (chiefly British), nitwit, nut, schmo (slang), airhead, birdbrain, blockhead, dink (slang), dolt, dope, dork (slang), goon, half-wit, idiot, imbecile, moron, turkey, brat, insolent, nuisance, pest, snip, snob, snoot, snot, dweeb (slang), nerd
    near: hero, heroine, idol, role model, gentleman, lady, angel, saint

  3. 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!"

    similar: apostate, backstabber, betrayer, double-crosser, double-dealer, Judas, quisling, recreant, serpent, traitor, turncoat
    related: accommodationist, collaborationist, collaborator, sellout, subversive, subverter, coconspirator, conspirator, intriguer, plotter, schemer, defector, deserter, renegade, blabbermouth, gossip, gossiper, gossipmonger, informant, informer, rat, rumormonger, snitch, snitcher, squealer, stool pigeon, talebearer, talker, tattler, tattletale, telltale

Snake (verb) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. to move about in a sly or secret manner

    "snaking softly through the brush"

    similar: lurk, mooch, mouse, pussyfoot, shirk, skulk, slide, slink, slip, sneak, steal
    related: crawl, creep, edge, inch, worm, ghost, pad, tiptoe

  2. to move slowly with the body close to the ground

    "commandos snaking through the grass toward the house"

    similar: belly, crawl, creep, grovel, slide, slither, worm, wriggle
    related: crouch, squat, edge, inch, nose, skulk, sneak, steal, tiptoe

Related Entry: Snake pit (noun)

Snake pit is a different word from Snake. The synonyms below are for snake pit, not for snake.

  1. a state in which everything is out of order

    "finally managed to crawl out of the snake pit of her drug addiction"

    similar: chance-medley, chaos, confusion, disarrangement, disarray, dishevelment, disorder, disorderedness, disorderliness, disorganization, free-for-all, havoc, heck, hell, jumble, mare's nest, mess, messiness, misorder, muddle, muss, shambles, tumble, welter
    related: anarchy, lawlessness, misrule, riot, knot, snarl, tangle, labyrinth, maze, web, maelstrom, storm, bollix, clutter, litter, mishmash, shuffle, hodgepodge, medley, miscellany, morass, motley
    opposite: order, orderliness
    near: method, pattern, plan, system

Related Entry: Snake pits (noun)

Snake pits is a different word from Snake. The synonyms below are for snake pits, not for snake.

  1. a state in which everything is out of order

    "finally managed to crawl out of the snake pit of her drug addiction"

    similar: chance-medleys, chaoses, confusions, disarrangements, disarrays, dishevelments, disorders, disorganizations, free-for-alls, havoc, hecks, hells, jumbles, mare's nests, messes, misorders, muddles, musses, shambles, tumbles, welters
    related: anarchies, misrules, riots, knots, snarls, tangles, labyrinths, mazes, webs, maelstroms, storms, bollixes, clutters, litters, mishmashes, shuffles, hodgepodges, medleys, miscellanies, morasses, motleys
    opposite: orders
    near: methods, patterns, plans, systems

Related Entry: Bull snake (noun)

Bull snake is a different word from Snake. The synonyms below are for bull snake, not for snake.

  1. as in rat snake, garter snake

    similar: adder, anaconda, asp, black racer, blacksnake, blue racer, boa, bushmaster, chicken snake, cobra, constrictor, copperhead, coral snake, cottonmouth moccasin, diamondback rattlesnake, fer-de-lance, garter snake, gopher snake, green snake, hognose snake, horned viper, indigo snake, king cobra, king snake, krait, mamba, milk snake, moccasin, pine snake, pit viper, puff adder, python, racer, rat snake, rattlesnake, sea serpent, sea snake, sidewinder, taipan, water moccasin, water snake, worm snake, serpent, snake, viper

Related Entry: Chicken snake (noun)

Chicken snake is a different word from Snake. The synonyms below are for chicken snake, not for snake.

  1. as in garter snake, diamondback rattlesnake

    similar: adder, anaconda, asp, black racer, blacksnake, blue racer, boa, bull snake, bushmaster, cobra, constrictor, copperhead, coral snake, cottonmouth moccasin, diamondback rattlesnake, fer-de-lance, garter snake, gopher snake, green snake, hognose snake, horned viper, indigo snake, king cobra, king snake, krait, mamba, milk snake, moccasin, pine snake, pit viper, puff adder, python, racer, rat snake, rattlesnake, sea serpent, sea snake, sidewinder, taipan, water moccasin, water snake, worm snake, serpent, snake, viper

Related Entry: Coral snake (noun)

Coral snake is a different word from Snake. The synonyms below are for coral snake, not for snake.

  1. as in sea snake, rat snake

    similar: adder, anaconda, asp, black racer, blacksnake, blue racer, boa, bull snake, bushmaster, chicken snake, cobra, constrictor, copperhead, cottonmouth moccasin, diamondback rattlesnake, fer-de-lance, garter snake, gopher snake, green snake, hognose snake, horned viper, indigo snake, king cobra, king snake, krait, mamba, milk snake, moccasin, pine snake, pit viper, puff adder, python, racer, rat snake, rattlesnake, sea serpent, sea snake, sidewinder, taipan, water moccasin, water snake, worm snake, serpent, snake, viper

Related Entry: Garter snake (noun)

Garter snake is a different word from Snake. The synonyms below are for garter snake, not for snake.

  1. as in diamondback rattlesnake, water snake

    similar: adder, anaconda, asp, black racer, blacksnake, blue racer, boa, bull snake, bushmaster, chicken snake, cobra, constrictor, copperhead, coral snake, cottonmouth moccasin, diamondback rattlesnake, fer-de-lance, gopher snake, green snake, hognose snake, horned viper, indigo snake, king cobra, king snake, krait, mamba, milk snake, moccasin, pine snake, pit viper, puff adder, python, racer, rat snake, rattlesnake, sea serpent, sea snake, sidewinder, taipan, water moccasin, water snake, worm snake, serpent, snake, viper

Related Entry: Gopher snake (noun)

Gopher snake is a different word from Snake. The synonyms below are for gopher snake, not for snake.

  1. as in garter snake, rat snake

    similar: adder, anaconda, asp, black racer, blacksnake, blue racer, boa, bull snake, bushmaster, chicken snake, cobra, constrictor, copperhead, coral snake, cottonmouth moccasin, diamondback rattlesnake, fer-de-lance, garter snake, green snake, hognose snake, horned viper, indigo snake, king cobra, king snake, krait, mamba, milk snake, moccasin, pine snake, pit viper, puff adder, python, racer, rat snake, rattlesnake, sea serpent, sea snake, sidewinder, taipan, water moccasin, water snake, worm snake, serpent, snake, viper

Related Entry: Green snake (noun)

Green snake is a different word from Snake. The synonyms below are for green snake, not for snake.

  1. as in garter snake, diamondback rattlesnake

    similar: adder, anaconda, asp, black racer, blacksnake, blue racer, boa, bull snake, bushmaster, chicken snake, cobra, constrictor, copperhead, coral snake, cottonmouth moccasin, diamondback rattlesnake, fer-de-lance, garter snake, gopher snake, hognose snake, horned viper, indigo snake, king cobra, king snake, krait, mamba, milk snake, moccasin, pine snake, pit viper, puff adder, python, racer, rat snake, rattlesnake, sea serpent, sea snake, sidewinder, taipan, water moccasin, water snake, worm snake, serpent, snake, viper

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Snake

The most common words with a similar meaning to Snake:

Slang: crud, crumb, dirtbag, schmuck, scumbag, scuzzball, sleazebag, sleazeball, slimeball
Chiefly British: blighter, sod
British: bleeder
serpent, viper, bastard, beast, boor, bounder, bugger, buzzard, cad, chuff, churl, clown, creep, cretin, cur, dog, fink, heel, hound, jerk, joker, louse, lout, pill, rat, rat fink, reptile, rotter, scum, skunk, sleaze, slime, slob, so-and-so, stinkard, stinker, swine, toad, varmint, vermin

Related Words for Snake

adder, anaconda, asp, black racer, blacksnake, blue racer, boa, bull snake, bushmaster, chicken snake, cobra, constrictor, copperhead, coral snake, cottonmouth moccasin, diamondback rattlesnake, fer-de-lance, garter snake, gopher snake, green snake, hognose snake, horned viper, indigo snake, king cobra, king snake, krait, mamba, milk snake, moccasin, pine snake

Near Antonyms of Snake

hero, heroine, idol, role model, gentleman, lady, angel, saint

Word Forms of Snake

Inflections: snaked, snaking

Derived words: snakelike (adjective)

Origin & Etymology of Snake

Middle English, from Old English snaca; akin to Old Norse snakr snake, Old High German snahhan to crawl

First known use: before 12th century

Vocabulary Lists & Topics for Snake

Words & Phrases Containing Snake

snake charmer, snake-dance, snake dance, snake doctor, snake fence, snake in the grass, snake oil

Frequently Asked Questions about Snake

What does "Snake" mean?

"Snake" means any of numerous limbless scaled reptiles (suborder Serpentes synonym Ophidia) with a long tapering body and with salivary glands often modified to produce venom which is injected through grooved or tubular fangs. As an a noun and a verb, it is defined as: any of numerous limbless scaled reptiles (suborder Serpentes synonym Ophidia) with a long tapering body and with salivary glands often modified to produce venom which is injected through grooved or tubular fangs. It has 5 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Snake"?

Other words for "Snake" include serpent, viper, bastard, beast, bleeder, blighter, boor and bounder. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Snake" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Snake"?

There are 211 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Snake". Common alternatives include serpent, viper, bastard, beast, bleeder, blighter, boor, bounder, bugger and buzzard.

What is a slang word for "Snake"?

Slang words for "Snake" include crud, crumb, dirtbag, schmuck, scumbag and scuzzball.

How do you use "Snake" in a sentence?

Examples of "Snake" in a sentence: "snakes are cold-blooded, so they regulate their body temperature by alternately basking in sunlight and seeking shade"; "why, that dirty, rotten snake!"; "what a snake she was—having an affair with my husband while I was in the hospital!".

Is "Snake" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Snake" can be used as a noun and a verb, depending on the context.

Is "Snake" useful for IELTS, TOEFL, and other English exams?

As an A1-level word, "Snake" is typical of Cambridge A1 Movers (Young Learners), TOEIC Listening & Reading 120+.

How do you pronounce "Snake"?

"Snake" is pronounced /ˈsnāk/.