coral snake

noun

1
: any of several venomous chiefly tropical New World elapid snakes (genus Micrurus) brilliantly banded in red, black, and yellow or white that include two (M. fulvius and M. euryxanthus) ranging northward into the southern U.S.
2
: any of several harmless snakes resembling the coral snakes

Examples of coral snake in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web For the Eastern coral snake, the red bands touch yellow bands. Cole Sikes Communications and Marketing Specialist Alabama Cooperative Extension System, al, 25 Apr. 2023 While Costa Rica has about 600 fer-de-lance viper bites every year, for example, only about three to five bites come from coral snakes. Joshua Rapp Learn, Discover Magazine, 13 June 2023 There are several different species of coral snakes with dangerous bites, for example, but the low number of victims per year dissuades private drug companies from making an antivenom. Joshua Rapp Learn, Discover Magazine, 13 June 2023 For the coral snakes’ counterparts, red bands touch black bands. Cole Sikes Communications and Marketing Specialist Alabama Cooperative Extension System, al, 25 Apr. 2023 Of the 46 species of snakes known in Georgia, only six are venomous: copperhead, cottonmouth, Eastern diamondback rattlesnake, timber/canebrake rattlesnake, pigmy rattlesnake and Eastern coral snake. Nancy Clanton, ajc, 20 Apr. 2023 The diminutive creature deploys a gravity-defying cartwheel when threatened by predators such as birds and the striped coral snake. Katie Hunt, CNN, 8 Apr. 2023 Laita gave the example of the blue coral snake, which has an incredibly long venom gland, running nearly half the length of its body. Breanna Draxler, Discover Magazine, 26 Feb. 2013 For example, the scarlet king snake mimics the venomous coral snake, while the viceroy butterfly mimics the monarch butterfly, which is poisonous. Allison Futterman, Discover Magazine, 6 Mar. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'coral snake.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1772, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of coral snake was circa 1772

Dictionary Entries Near coral snake

Cite this Entry

“Coral snake.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/coral%20snake. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

coral snake

noun
: any of several poisonous chiefly tropical New World snakes brilliantly banded in red, black, and yellow or white
also : any of several harmless snakes resembling the coral snakes

Medical Definition

coral snake

noun
: any of several venomous chiefly tropical New World elapid snakes of the genus Micrurus that are brilliantly banded in red, black, and yellow or white and include two (M. fulvius and M. euryxanthus) ranging northward into the southern United States
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