Meaning & use
moccasin
Last updated
Meanings
nouncountable
A soft, flat shoe made of one piece of leather, first made by Native peoples of North America.
Grammar: Often used in the plural for a pair: a pair of moccasins.
Patterns
- a pair of moccasins
- wear moccasins
She slipped into her moccasins and stepped onto the porch.
Beaded moccasins are displayed in the museum.
He bought suede moccasins for the cabin.
nouncountableAmerican
A venomous snake of the southeastern United States, also called the water moccasin or cottonmouth.
Grammar: Often appears as water moccasin.
Patterns
- a water moccasin
A moccasin swam across the slow river.
Hikers were warned about a water moccasin near the swamp.
The moccasin opened its pale mouth as a warning.
Word forms
| plural | moccasins |
|---|
Common combinations
- leather moccasins
- He wore soft leather moccasins around the house.
- pair of moccasins
- She packed a pair of moccasins for the cabin.
- suede moccasins
- Suede moccasins can be damaged by rain.
- beaded moccasins
- Beaded moccasins are often made by hand.
- water moccasin
- Never touch a water moccasin.
Synonyms and how they differ
- loafer
- A loafer is a stiffer slip-on shoe with a hard sole, whereas a moccasin is soft and flexible.
- slipper
- Slipper is meant for indoor use, but moccasins are often worn outdoors too.
- cottonmouth
- Cottonmouth is another name for the venomous snake, while moccasin by itself may mean either shoe or snake.
Commonly confused: moccasin or mocassin?
moccasin vs mocassin
This is a common misspelling; the correct spelling has two c's and one s.
Practice
Which spelling is correct?
Choose one answer.
Moccasin has two c's and a single s. The other spellings are common mistakes.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “moccasin”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.