noun
snail
snayl
noun
1
A small, slow-moving mollusc with a spiral shell that it carries on its back.
"After the rain, snails were crawling all over the garden path."
2
Informally, a very slow-moving person.
"Hurry up, you snail — we're going to be late!"
verb
1
To move at a very slow pace.
"Traffic snailed along the motorway during rush hour."
How to Use Snail
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishThe shelled garden creature, or, informally, anyone or anything moving painfully slowly.
Common pairings
snail's pace
move at a snail's pace
Word Forms
snailed past tense, snails plural, snails singular
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Etymology
From Old English snægl, from a Proto-Germanic root related to "sneak" and "creep."