Phrase guide

plumber's snake

noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

No pronunciation record was provided for this word.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A long, flexible tool, often with rotating blades at its forward end, which is inserted into a plumbing pipe system and used to remove clogs or other obstructions.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

a long flexible steel coil for dislodging stoppages in curved pipes

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: auger

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: hand tool, snake

History

Etymology

No etymology was provided for this word.

Across languages

Translations

8 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Finnish: viemärinavausjousi — flexible tool used to unclog a pipe
  • Finnish: viemärirassi — flexible tool used to unclog a pipe
  • French: furet — flexible tool used to unclog a pipe
  • French: vrille à déboucher — flexible tool used to unclog a pipe
  • German: Rohrreinigungsspirale — flexible tool used to unclog a pipe
  • Norwegian: stakefjær — flexible tool used to unclog a pipe
  • Spanish: sonda desatascadora / destapacaños / desatoradora — flexible tool used to unclog a pipe
  • Swahili: nyoka — flexible tool used to unclog a pipe