snail 1 of 2

Definition of snailnext

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
Some of our go-to eye serums are marked down for Prime Day, too, including the COSRX Snail Mucin Peptide Under Eye Cream, which features snail mucin, peptides, and niacinamide to even out discoloration and soothe puffy areas. Alanna Martine Kilkeary, Glamour, 23 June 2026 So, too, do simultaneous hermaphrodites, a collection of creatures that includes most species of land snails, slugs, and earthworms. Elizabeth Kolbert, New Yorker, 22 June 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
Noun
  • Calendula Calendula’s fleshy leaves, stems, and flowers also draw slugs and snails away from other crops and can be interplanted in food or flower gardens for natural slug control.
    Lauren Landers, The Spruce, 3 July 2026
  • Dunlap explains that these pungent compounds deter strawberry-loving garden pests like slugs and aphids while also acting as mild fungicides.
    SJ McShane, Martha Stewart, 30 June 2026
Verb
  • But as the days dragged on, headlines about power outages and water shortages took a back seat to a far more gruesome and horrific reality.
    Adam Harrington, CBS News, 1 July 2026
  • Compounding concerns, California officials say the Department of Transportation is dragging its feet.
    Lauren Morganbesser, semafor.com, 1 July 2026
Noun
  • That’s because it’s built to travel on roadways and bike lanes, leaving its fellow sidewalk crawlers in the dust.
    Frank Landymore, Futurism, 24 June 2026
  • This may yield additional, creepier, and crawler results.
    Hallie Milstein, Southern Living, 17 June 2026
Verb
  • So, while the Dodgers crawled out of the hole with a season-high 17 hits, the steep cost heightens the pressure on the rest of the rotation the rest of the series.
    Liana Handler Follow, Los Angeles Times, 3 July 2026
  • The Germans were crawling as far as the street, dashing across the asphalt, then leaping into the second trench.
    Vasily Grossman, Harpers Magazine, 30 June 2026
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
Verb
  • Leaders should identify where bottlenecks crept back in, restore psychological safety around small failures, and rebuild the feedback loops that make frequent, low-risk deployment feel sustainable.
    Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 1 July 2026
  • Asked Monday what the best part about being back has been so far, a big smile crept across Watkins’ face.
    Assistant Sports Editor, Los Angeles Times, 30 June 2026
Noun
  • Nakamura designs for lingerers.
    Justin Davidson, Curbed, 1 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • Calderón, a big, bald man wearing a gold chain and cross-shaped earrings, sat off to the side, amid an entourage of muscular assistants in polo shirts, poking at his phone.
    Will Freeman, New Yorker, 30 June 2026
  • Find a location with an unobstructed view to the southeast, where the full moon’s orangey disk will poke above the horizon minutes after the moonrise time — though exactly when depends on local terrain and buildings.
    Jamie Carter, Forbes.com, 29 June 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Snail.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/snail. Accessed 6 Jul. 2026.

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