as in slugs
someone who moves slowly or more slowly than others
go and tell the snails in the back to hurry up
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in crawls
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 snails
Louise Parks, Martha Stewart, 17 May 2026
The snails’ iron-rich shell is a vital part of their survival strategy—but not as a protective armor, says Chong Chen, a senior scientist at the Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology and a leading expert on the scaly-foot snail, who led the effort to map its genome.
—Adam Kovac, Scientific American, 15 May 2026
Nasturtium can also act as a trap crop for slugs and snails, which generally prefer these plants to many other veggies.
—Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 14 May 2026
About 20 races took place at Folsom City Lions Park, with up to nine snails per heat climbing one-foot poles; Mayor Justin Raithel motivated his snail with lettuce and made the semifinals before finishing fourth.
—Sacbee.com, 11 May 2026
Pots simmered on the stove with paella, fruit rotted in bowls next to the junk mail, and the pantry was full of old rusted cans of strange unearthly edibles—bamboo shoots and snails in sauce and lemons floating in brine.
—Literary Hub, 8 May 2026
The naturalist already has more than 50 species named after him, including fish, spiders, birds, lizards, beetles, snails, as well as many types of plants and wasps.
—Jacopo Prisco, CNN Money, 8 May 2026
Similarly, slugs and snails are less likely to travel across jagged surfaces, which can make pine cones a helpful barrier around vulnerable plants like lettuce or hostas.
—Jessica Safavimehr, Southern Living, 6 May 2026
Radishes Rapid growth makes radishes ideal as companion plants and trap crops, effective for drawing flea beetles, aphids, slugs, snails, harlequin bugs, and cabbage root maggots away from tomatoes, eggplant, brassicas, cucumbers, and squash.
—Barbara Gillette, The Spruce, 3 May 2026
Noun
However, borax will not work on pests that aren't interested in eating it, such as termites, bed bugs, mosquitoes, flying insects above ground level, or any number of other outdoor pests, such as slugs and snails.
—Louise Parks, Martha Stewart, 17 May 2026
The snails’ iron-rich shell is a vital part of their survival strategy—but not as a protective armor, says Chong Chen, a senior scientist at the Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology and a leading expert on the scaly-foot snail, who led the effort to map its genome.
—Adam Kovac, Scientific American, 15 May 2026
Nasturtium can also act as a trap crop for slugs and snails, which generally prefer these plants to many other veggies.
—Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 14 May 2026
About 20 races took place at Folsom City Lions Park, with up to nine snails per heat climbing one-foot poles; Mayor Justin Raithel motivated his snail with lettuce and made the semifinals before finishing fourth.
—Sacbee.com, 11 May 2026
Pots simmered on the stove with paella, fruit rotted in bowls next to the junk mail, and the pantry was full of old rusted cans of strange unearthly edibles—bamboo shoots and snails in sauce and lemons floating in brine.
—Literary Hub, 8 May 2026
The naturalist already has more than 50 species named after him, including fish, spiders, birds, lizards, beetles, snails, as well as many types of plants and wasps.
—Jacopo Prisco, CNN Money, 8 May 2026
Similarly, slugs and snails are less likely to travel across jagged surfaces, which can make pine cones a helpful barrier around vulnerable plants like lettuce or hostas.
—Jessica Safavimehr, Southern Living, 6 May 2026
Radishes Rapid growth makes radishes ideal as companion plants and trap crops, effective for drawing flea beetles, aphids, slugs, snails, harlequin bugs, and cabbage root maggots away from tomatoes, eggplant, brassicas, cucumbers, and squash.
—Barbara Gillette, The Spruce, 3 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for snails
Noun
-
However, borax will not work on pests that aren't interested in eating it, such as termites, bed bugs, mosquitoes, flying insects above ground level, or any number of other outdoor pests, such as slugs and snails.—
Louise Parks,
Martha Stewart,
17 May 2026
-
Japanese beetles and slugs are pesky nuisances that will go after the basil in your garden.—
Heather Bien,
Southern Living,
16 May 2026
Verb
-
Leclerc crawls through the long right-hand Turn 12, where Lindblad moves ahead again.—
Alex Kalinauckas,
New York Times,
11 May 2026
-
Think about how often your toddler crawls near the dog bed or your kids toss pet toys around the living room.—
Lauren Jarvis-Gibson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
9 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
This spring, Brood II stragglers will emerge between late April and May in states like Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Maryland, Virginia, Connecticut, and North Carolina, according to a map from the University of Connecticut.—
Finch Walker,
USA Today,
14 Apr. 2026
-
They’re known, aptly, as stragglers.—
Addy Bink,
The Hill,
12 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Analysts have repeatedly warned that if the war drags on and supply chains are disrupted for long enough, prices for gas and a range of other goods could continue to climb.—
Wyatte Grantham-Philips,
Chicago Tribune,
14 May 2026
-
Our older cat has no interest in them whatsoever, but our newest baby, Pip, drags his all around the house.—
Jeaneen Russell,
PEOPLE,
13 May 2026
Noun
-
These services have been limited in scope, with blocks on AI crawlers reducing the potential reach.—
Tim Keary,
Forbes.com,
1 May 2026
-
Overgrown Plants Along with mulch and other organic material, failing to keep up with your yard maintenance can attract these tiny critter-crawlers too.—
Ashlyn Needham,
Southern Living,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Mira’s politics are still primarily shaped by her parents, but the culture creeps in.—
Anna Wiener,
New Yorker,
4 May 2026
-
Mildew creeps along the corners of the tub.—
Lauren Jarvis-Gibson,
Charlotte Observer,
30 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Kym is the family fuckup and a guilty party to its biggest tragedy but also constantly pokes the bear as its selfish verbal assassin.—
Chris Feil,
Vulture,
1 May 2026
-
Instead, the robot simply pokes through it.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
30 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Snails.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/snails. Accessed 20 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
