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Definition of milk snake
milk snake
Plural:milk snakes
milk snake Lexical Profile
CEFR
B2
Grade
6
Tier
2
Usage
Rare
• noun
1
North American A widely distributed, non-venomous species of kingsnake native to the Americas, characterized by its striking bands of red, black, and white or yellow, which often mimic the appearance of the highly venomous coral snake.
Example
"The farmer was relieved to find a harmless milk snake in the barn, knowing it would help keep the local rodent population under control."
Synonyms
View all synonyms for milk snakeWord Origin & Etymology
The name derives from a persistent but false rural myth that these snakes, which were frequently found in barns hunting for rodents, would attach themselves to cows' udders to drink milk.
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.
180019102020
Data source: Google Books Ngram Viewer
Cite this Entry
Wordmom. (2026). Definition of Milk snake. In Wordmom Dictionary. Retrieved Oct 13, 2026, from https://wordmom.com/dictionary/milk snake