snake

[ sneyk ]

noun

1. any of numerous limbless, scaly, elongate reptiles of the suborder Serpentes, comprising venomous and nonvenomous species inhabiting tropical and temperate areas.
2. a treacherous person; an insidious enemy. Compare snake in the grass.
3. Building Trades.
   1. Also called auger, plumber's snake. (in plumbing) a device for dislodging obstructions in curved pipes, having a head fed into the pipe at the end of a flexible metal band.
   2. Also called wirepuller. a length of resilient steel wire, for threading through an electrical conduit so that wire can be pulled through after it.

verb (used without object)

, snaked, snak·ing.

1. to move, twist, or wind:

   The road snakes among the mountains.

verb (used with object)

, snaked, snak·ing.

1. to wind or make (one's course, way, etc.) in the manner of a snake:

   to snake one's way through a crowd.

2. to drag or haul, especially by a chain or rope, as a log.

snake

/ sneɪk /

noun

1. any reptile of the suborder Ophidia (or Serpentes ), typically having a scaly cylindrical limbless body, fused eyelids, and a jaw modified for swallowing large prey: includes venomous forms such as cobras and rattlesnakes, large nonvenomous constrictors (boas and pythons), and small harmless types such as the grass snake colubrineophidian
2. Also calledsnake in the grass a deceitful or treacherous person
3. anything resembling a snake in appearance or action
4. (in the European Union) a former system of managing a group of currencies by allowing the exchange rate of each of them only to fluctuate within narrow limits
5. a tool in the form of a long flexible wire for unblocking drains

verb

1. intr to glide or move like a snake
2. tr to haul (a heavy object, esp a log) by fastening a rope around one end of it
3. tr often foll by out to pull jerkily
4. tr to move in or follow (a sinuous course)

Derived Forms

• ˈsnakeˌlike, adjective

Other Words From

• snakelike adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of snake¹

before 1000; Middle English (noun); Old English snaca; cognate with Middle Low German snake, Old Norse snākr

Word History and Origins

Origin of snake¹

Old English snaca; related to Old Norse snākr snake, Old High German snahhan to crawl, Norwegian snōk snail

Example Sentences

Warmer temperatures, the scientists hypothesize, make jay nests susceptible to predation by snakes for a longer period of the Florida spring than in the past.

From Science Daily

But biologists studying everything from yeast to snakes to humans have recently unearthed a plethora of so-called noncanonical ORFs, which lack those prefatory snippets and are shorter than average.

From Science Magazine

He instead lied, complained, pushed snake oil cures and worried more about the effects of the pandemic on his re-election prospects than the health of the American people.

From Salon

A classic example of the amygdala in action is someone's physiological and emotional response to seeing a snake: startled body, racing heart, sweaty palms.

From Science Daily

The test can identify four invasive snake species simultaneously.

From Science Daily

Related Words

• serpent
• vermin

About This Word

What else does snake mean?

Snake can be slang for a person who acts in a deceitful, underhanded, or backstabbing way.

Where does snake come from?

Snakes and serpents have long been figures of danger and deception. We need look no further than the Judeo-Christian story of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, where a diabolical serpent duped Eve into eating the forbidden fruit from the Tree of Knowledge. Things didn’t go too well for her or Adam after that …

Deep fears and myths, not to mention the slithering and tongue-flicking nature of the reptile, helped make the word snake refer to a “treacherous, unreliable, and deceptive person” by at least the 1580s. An extended expression is snake in the grass, or “concealed danger,” recorded in the early 1600s. Snake, as a verb for “sneak” or “cheat,” is found in the 1860s and 1870s.

It’s not all so high-brow when it comes to sneaky snakes. The cartoon The Simpsons, for instance, has featured the minor character, and comical criminal, Snake Jailbird since 1991.

How is snake used in real life?

Snake is a widely used term for an untrustworthy person, especially deceitful men in romantic contexts.

forgot what a snake looked like until I met you

— brea🎃 (@brea_tolbert) November 14, 2018

The verb snake is also used when talking about someone acting in a fiendish, snake-like way.

If I find out that you snaked me I won’t move mad but the energy towards you will never be the same

— habib💎 (@H4bib0) May 18, 2020

And then of course there are more lighthearted takes on those sly and scheming snakes out there.

when you're in the middle of a makeout sesh and it hits you right then that this guy is a snake just like the rest. 🐍🐍🐍 pic.twitter.com/DL3IxEJkIF

— alyx🌵 (@AlyxGreenwood98) February 26, 2017

More examples of snake:

“Should I Connect With this Guy? 10 Signs He May be a Snake in the Grass”
—PreEngaged (title), March 2015

“Can’t trust everybody around you, those be the main ones ready to snake you”
—@taethomas35, November 2018

Note

This content is not meant to be a formal definition of this term. Rather, it is an informal summary that seeks to provide supplemental information and context important to know or keep in mind about the term’s history, meaning, and usage.