snail 1 of 2

noun

ˈsnāl How to pronounce snail (audio)
Definition of snailnext
as in slug
someone who moves slowly or more slowly than others go and tell the snails in the back to hurry up

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

snail

2 of 2

verb

as in to drag
to move slowly the highway construction work created a bottleneck that had cars snailing for the next five miles

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of snail
Noun
It is made with 96% snail secretion filtrate, a humectant-rich ingredient known for calming irritation, fading post-acne marks and supporting skin repair. — Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 26 Aug. 2026 CosRx’s Advanced Snail 96 Mucin Power Essence, built on 96% snail secretion filtrate, is now a shorthand product for the entire category. — Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Miami Herald, 26 Aug. 2026
Verb
The northern part of the island was at a standstill, schools closed, traffic snailing down the motorway. — Ariel Saramandi, The Dial, 29 July 2025 The two perpetual calendar counters are also snailed, except for the central section of the one located at 9 o'clock. — Anthony Demarco, Forbes, 20 Jan. 2025 See All Example Sentences for snail
Recent Examples of Synonyms for snail
  1. slug
  2. drag
  3. crawler
  4. crawl
  5. slowpoke
  6. creep
  7. lingerer
  8. poke
Noun
  • With the light load of powder that was behind them, these slugs couldn’t possibly have killed the tigress unless an extremely lucky shot had put them into a vital area at very close range.
    — Leslie E. Tassell, Outdoor Life, 27 Aug. 2026
  • Remember to bury the container deep enough to let the slugs in and out.
    — Melissa Locker, Southern Living, 24 Aug. 2026
Definition of slug
Verb
  • The multiday move lower in oil prices has also dragged bond yields lower.
    — Steve Kopack, NBC news, 26 Aug. 2026
  • The Huskies ultimately won both ends of a home-and-home series, but the second game dragged perilously into overtime.
    — Brian Hamilton, New York Times, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of drag
Noun
  • There is also a late-summer timeframe when an insecticide can be applied to control the insect in its crawler stage.
    — Tim Johnson, Chicago Tribune, 15 Aug. 2026
  • The rise of crawlers Search engines of the era confronted the scale problem with software.
    — Alan Bradley, ArsTechnica, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of crawler
Verb
  • Their only hope is for someone to crawl across the room to the spot with the most intense g-forces and turn it off.
    — Keith Phipps, Vulture, 27 Aug. 2026
  • Classicist and Roman plumbing expert Ann Olga Koloski-Ostrow suggests that private toilets might have been cut off from the municipal sewers to prevent animals crawling up the pipes and into homes.
    — Andrew Coletti, Popular Science, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of crawl
Noun
  • Sale prices currently start from $579 per person, but there’s limited availability due to the size of the ships, so don’t be a slowpoke!
    — Hannah Chubb, Condé Nast Traveler, 4 June 2026
  • Instead, the problem is that these slowpokes haven’t been nearly as efficient.
    — John Hollinger, New York Times, 23 Apr. 2026
Definition of slowpoke
Verb
  • Audiences embraced the films for their creeping realism and slow-building scares, which transformed ordinary bedrooms, hallways and home security cameras into places where something terrifying might be lurking just outside the frame.
    — Dave Quinn, PEOPLE, 26 Aug. 2026
  • Nic Antaya / Getty Images As the calendar creeps toward September, the Detroit Red Wings are still conducting their search for their next general manager.
    — Max Bultman, New York Times, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of creep
Noun
  • Nakamura designs for lingerers.
    — Justin Davidson, Curbed, 1 Apr. 2026
Definition of lingerer
Verb
  • Adults’s Gen-Z characters tend to see their comforts as transient, their identities as mutable, and seriousness as an annoying obligation, all of which the second season pokes at a bit.
    — Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 27 Aug. 2026
  • Most of what’s actionable comes from the signal that might be poking through.
    — Ben Gretch, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of poke

Phrases Containing snail

Browse Nearby Words

snags
snail
snailed
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Cite this Entry

“Snail.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/snail. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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