cobra

IPA/ˈkəʊ.brə/
KK[kˈobrə]IPA/ˈkoʊ.brə/

cobra — noun

  • cobrasingular
  • cobrasplural

1. a highly venomous snake found in Africa and parts of Asia, known for raising the

1.nounB1
Definition

a highly venomous snake found in Africa and parts of Asia, known for raising the front of its body and stretching the loose skin around its neck outward into a wide hood when it feels threatened or wants to appear larger.

Example

The zookeeper warned visitors that the cobra in the glass cage could spit venom.

warning pattern: warned that + [clause]

A cobra rose from the basket and spread its hood at the snake charmer's tune.

descriptive: cobra + spread its hood

Common collocations
  • deadly cobra
  • cobra venom
  • cobra bite
  • king cobra
  • spitting cobra
  • cobra hood
  • cobra charmer
Synonyms
  • viper

    Vipers and cobras are both venomous but belong to different families; vipers have heat-sensing pits and thicker bodies, while cobras are elapids with neurotoxic venom.

  • mamba

    Like the cobra, the mamba is an elapid snake with neurotoxic venom, but mambas are native only to Africa and are generally faster and more aggressive.

Grammar Patterns

cobra + verb (e.g. spreads, rises, strikes)

Usage Note

Can be combined with species names such as king cobra (a separate, larger species, Ophiophagus hannah) or spitting cobra (which sprays venom). The snake's defensive posture — raising the forebody and expanding the neck into a hood — is a widely recognised trait in popular culture and nature media.

Common Mistakes

The cobra's neck got bigger when it was angry.
The cobra spread its hood when it felt threatened.
The expanded part is called a hood, not the neck, and the snake's reaction is defensive, not emotional.

2. a group of senior UK government officials, military leaders, and expert advisers

2.nounC1
Definition

a group of senior UK government officials, military leaders, and expert advisers that meets during major national emergencies to decide on and coordinate the country's response.

Example

COBRA met at dawn to discuss the emergency response to the widespread flooding.

The prime minister chaired a COBRA meeting after the cyber attack was reported.

collocation: chair a COBRA meeting

Common collocations
  • COBRA meeting
  • COBRA session
  • emergency COBRA
  • chair a COBRA meeting
  • COBRA committee
  • call a COBRA meeting

Grammar Patterns

COBRA + verb (e.g. meets, convened)

chair + a + COBRA + meeting

Usage Note

Always written in capital letters (COBRA) when referring to the committee. In news coverage, 'COBRA' usually refers to the group of officials and the meeting itself rather than the physical rooms. The acronym is occasionally spelled COBR, but COBRA is far more common in British media. The name comes from the Cabinet Office's briefing rooms where these meetings first took place, though the term now refers mainly to the committee itself.

Common Mistakes

COBRA is a room in London where the British government meets.
COBRA is the emergency committee that meets to handle national crises.
COBRA primarily refers to the committee and its meetings, not the physical briefing rooms.

Word family

  • king cobra
    nounB2
  • spitting cobra
    nounB2
  • cobra venom
    nounB2

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Cobra, viper, mamba, and rattlesnake are all venomous snakes, but they differ in family, behaviour, and geographic range. Cobras (family Elapidae) are found in Africa and Asia and are best known for raising their body and spreading a hood when threatened. Vipers (family Viperidae) have thick bodies and heat-sensing pits between their eyes and nostrils; they live on every continent except Australia and Antarctica. Mambas (also elapids) are native only to Africa and are among the fastest snakes in the world. Rattlesnakes, a type of pit viper from the Americas, warn enemies by shaking the rattle at the tip of their tail. For example: 'The snake charmer handled the cobra with care, knowing its venom was as deadly as a mamba's, while a rattlesnake across the ocean would give a very different warning.'

cobra ↗viper ↗mamba ↗rattlesnake

Etymology

LatinPortugueseEnglish

The word cobra came into English through Portuguese explorers in the 16th century, who called the snake cobra (de capello), meaning 'snake (with a hood)'. The Portuguese term itself came from Latin colubra, meaning 'snake' or 'serpent'. The name directly points to the snake's most famous feature — the hood-like shape it creates by spreading the skin around its neck.

First known use

1802

1802, in the meaning defined above