Illustration of rattlesnake
rattlesnake
noun
rat·tle·snake
ˈra-tᵊl-ˌsnāk 
: any of several American pit vipers (genera Crotalus and Sistrurus) that have horny interlocking joints at the end of the tail which make a sharp rattling sound when shaken
Examples of rattlesnake in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Prairie rattlesnakes have evolved an easy solution to this problem.
—
Jason Bittel, New York Times, 17 Jan. 2025
Giving 11 venomous snakes a chance to escape inside your office sounds risky, but one of the nation’s top rattlesnake experts did just that to prove a point.
—Mark Price, Miami Herald, 3 Jan. 2025
The saga of Biker Jim’s has been as wild and unexpected as the hot dogs themselves, some of them made from reindeer, ostrich, rabbit and rattlesnake meat.
—Miguel Otarola, The Denver Post, 4 Dec. 2024
For one thing, rattlesnakes have different fat profiles than Chinese water snakes.
—Jordan Friedman, Smithsonian Magazine, 21 Oct. 2024
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Jason Bittel, New York Times, 17 Jan. 2025
Giving 11 venomous snakes a chance to escape inside your office sounds risky, but one of the nation’s top rattlesnake experts did just that to prove a point.
—Mark Price, Miami Herald, 3 Jan. 2025
The saga of Biker Jim’s has been as wild and unexpected as the hot dogs themselves, some of them made from reindeer, ostrich, rabbit and rattlesnake meat.
—Miguel Otarola, The Denver Post, 4 Dec. 2024
For one thing, rattlesnakes have different fat profiles than Chinese water snakes.
—Jordan Friedman, Smithsonian Magazine, 21 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for rattlesnake
Dictionary Entries Near rattlesnake
Cite this Entry
“Rattlesnake.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rattlesnake. Accessed 23 Jan. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
rattlesnake
noun
rat·tle·snake
ˈrat-ᵊl-ˌsnāk
: any of various poisonous American snakes with a rattle at the end of the tail
Medical Definition
rattlesnake
noun
rat·tle·snake
ˈrat-ᵊl-ˌsnāk
: any of the American pit vipers that have a series of horny interlocking joints at the end of the tail which make a sharp rattling sound when vibrated and that comprise the genera Sistrurus and Crotalus see diamondback rattlesnake, tiger rattlesnake, timber rattlesnake
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