snake

SNAYK/sneɪk/

Pluralsnakes

Verbsnakes, snaking, snaked

15 meanings of snake

Practice

1
reptilenouncountable
A long, thin reptile that has no legs and moves by sliding along the ground.
Like a living rope that slides over the ground.
A snake slid across the warm rock in the sun.
The children spotted several snakes near the pond.
Similarserpent
Note
2
wind alongverbintransitive
To move or bend along a long, twisting path.
Like the way a snake moves, bending left and right as it goes.
Mountain roads snake through these hills for miles.
The line of cars snaked around the block for hours.
UsageSay a road snakes through the hills.
Similarwind, slither
Note
3
traitornounfigurativelycountable
A person who cannot be trusted and turns against friends, such as by telling their secrets.
Like a friend who smiles at you but secretly works against you.
He turned out to be a snake who lied to all his friends.
Don't trust him for a second, because he's a real snake.
Similartraitor, viper, rat, weasel, backstabber
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4
drain toolnouncountable
A long tool that bends, pushed into pipes to clear them or to pull wires through walls.
Like a long, bendy wire that pokes through a pipe to push out what's stuck.
The plumber pushed a snake down the drain to clear the clog.
We bought a snake to fix the blocked kitchen sink.
UsageSay drain snake or plumber's snake.
Similarauger
Note

Less common meanings

5
clear a drainverbtransitive
To clear a blocked pipe by pushing a long, bendy tool through it.
Like pushing a long brush through a pipe to scrub out what's blocking it.
The plumber snaked the drain until the water flowed freely.
You should snake the pipe before calling for help.
UsageSay snake the drain.
Similarunclog, unblock, clear
6
penisnounslangcountable
A slang word for the penis.
He made a crude joke about his snake at the bar.
Zip up your pants and put that snake away!
UsageA joking word. Trouser snake makes the meaning clearer.
Note
7
jelly sweetnounAustraliaUKcountable
A soft, chewy candy made in the shape of a snake.
Like a gummy bear, but stretched out into a long, wiggly snake shape.
He pulled a long red snake out of the bag of sweets.
The pick-and-mix tub was full of jelly snakes and sour worms.
UsageJust say snakes: a bag of snakes.
Note
8
tell onverbdialectalMulticultural London Englishtransitive or intransitive
To secretly tell on someone so they get into trouble.
Like telling the teacher who broke the window so you don't get blamed.
He snaked me out to the teacher, so now I'm in detention.
I would never snake you out to the principal.
UsageSay snake someone out to the police.
Similarrat, snitch, squeal, grass, inform
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9
drag outverbcolloquialUStransitive
To pull or drag something heavy along the ground, often out of a tight spot.
Like dragging a long, heavy rope out of a tight, narrow space.
They snaked the fallen log out of the ditch with a chain.
Grandpa used the old tractor to snake logs out of the woods.
Similardrag, haul, pull
Note
10
stealverbslangAustraliatransitive
To take something quietly and sneakily without the owner noticing.
Like quietly taking the last piece of candy when no one sees.
Don't snake my fries while I'm gone.
He snaked the last cookie off the plate when no one was looking.
UsageSay someone snaked your seat or idea.
Similarswipe, steal, pinch, nab, nick
Note
11
burning ash toynounabbreviationellipsis
Short for black snake: a small firework that grows a long, curling trail of ash as it burns.
We lit a snake on the driveway and watched the ash uncurl.
Each snake burned slowly, leaving a long trail of gray ash.
Note
12
verb
To wrap a thin rope or cord around a thick one, filling the grooves between its strands.
13
noun
A line made of several smooth curves joined together.
14
noun
Short for snake in the tunnel: a 1970s plan that kept the values of European currencies close together.
The snake failed to provide an anchor for currency stability and, through it, disinflation.
2001, W. Bonefeld, The Politics of Europe: Monetary Union and ClassHere, snake means a European plan that kept currencies close in value.
15
noun
The seventh card in a Lenormand fortune-telling deck.

Practice

Can you tell the meanings of snake apart? Answer 3 quick questions from this page, or write your own sentence and AI will check it.

Origin

From Old English snaca, meaning snake. It comes from an old Germanic word meaning to creep or slide.

Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 2 facts

Snake derives from Old English snaca, meaning snake. en.wiktionary.org
Its ancestry includes a Germanic word meaning to creep or slide. en.wiktionary.org