mamba

noun

mam·​ba ˈmäm-bə How to pronounce mamba (audio) ˈmam- How to pronounce mamba (audio)
: any of several chiefly arboreal venomous green or black elapid snakes (genus Dendroaspis) of sub-Saharan Africa

Examples of mamba in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Per a report from The Telegraph, Dingo was bitten by an Eastern green mamba. Marco Rubio, Newsweek, 1 Nov. 2024 And a gladiator sandal recalled the coils of the mamba snake. WWD, 23 Sep. 2024 There was something called mindfulness behind the mamba mentality. Taylor Mims, Billboard, 15 May 2024 Researchers have created a powerful synthetic antibody that counteracts the deadly venom produced by snakes in the Elapidae family—which includes the black mamba, king cobra and kraits. Catherine Duncan, Smithsonian Magazine, 1 Mar. 2024 See all Example Sentences for mamba 

Word History

Etymology

Zulu imamba

First Known Use

1839, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of mamba was in 1839

Dictionary Entries Near mamba

Cite this Entry

“Mamba.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mamba. Accessed 1 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

mamba

noun
mam·​ba ˈmäm-bə How to pronounce mamba (audio) ˈmam- How to pronounce mamba (audio)
: any of several African poisonous snakes related to the cobras but lacking a hood

Medical Definition

mamba

noun
mam·​ba ˈmäm-bə How to pronounce mamba (audio) ˈmam- How to pronounce mamba (audio)
: any of several venomous elapid snakes (genus Dendroaspis) of sub-Saharan Africa that are related to the cobras but lack a dilatable hood
especially : a southern African snake (D. angusticeps) that has a light or olive-green phase and a black phase, that attains in the latter phase a length of 12 feet (3.66 meters), and that is noted for the quickness with which it inflicts its often fatal bite

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