snatched; snatching; snatches
: to attempt to seize something suddenly
: to take or grasp abruptly or hastily
snatch up a pen
snatched the first opportunity
also
: to seize or take suddenly without permission, ceremony, or right
snatched a kiss
snatcher
noun
1
a
: a brief period
caught snatches of sleep
b
: a brief, fragmentary, or hurried part : bit
caught snatches of the conversation
2
a
: a snatching at or of something
b
slang
: an act or instance of kidnapping
3
: a lift in weight lifting in which the weight is raised from the floor directly to an overhead position in a single motion compare clean and jerk, press
4
vulgar
: the female pudenda
Synonyms
Examples of snatch in a Sentence
Verb
An eagle swooped down and snatched one of the hens.
She snatched the toy from his hands.
Noun
to the police chief, it didn't look like a snatch, but another case of a bride-to-be getting cold feet
Recent Examples on the Web
Aaron Boorstein, Smithsonian Magazine, 12 Apr. 2024
It’s also equipped with an anti-tangle brush roll that snatches up hair and pet fur without knotting and clogging.
—Clara McMahon, Peoplemag, 9 Apr. 2024
Automattic first invested in Beeper in 2022, and late last year snatched up another messaging app, Texts, for $50 million.
—Lauren Goode, WIRED, 9 Apr. 2024
Two dogs even snatched food from surprised shoppers, according to NDTV.
—Peter Aitken, Fox News, 6 Apr. 2024
While shareholder activist Nelson Peltz tried to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat in his proxy fight with Disney, CEO Bob Iger secured a resounding win at Wednesday’s annual general meeting.
—Diane Brady, Fortune, 4 Apr. 2024
Lord's friend had his necklace snatched away and then he was struck.
—Robert Anglen, The Arizona Republic, 28 Mar. 2024
Kidnapper thwarted:Doorbell video shows mom fighting off man who snatched teen from her apartment door in NYC
Surveillance video shows shooter flee scene in dark SUV
Detroit police were dispatch at 2:45 p.m. to the parking lot of a blues bar after the shooting occurred.
—Eric Lagatta, USA TODAY, 29 Mar. 2024
Lucas Paquetá, who had taken over the captains armband from Vinicius, converted from the spot in the 96th minute; snatching a draw from the jaws of defeat.
—Joseph O'Sullivan, Forbes, 27 Mar. 2024
Joseph Geha, The Mercury News, 8 June 2017
The text, sung by two sopranos, may well have been in Esperanto, as only snatches were decipherable.
—Alan G. Artner, chicagotribune.com, 4 June 2017
The beat is now peppy with drum and snatches of piano, a common Beatles rhythm.
—Nicholas Dawidoff, The Atlantic, 18 May 2017
Some were able to hear snatches of melody as subtle as the scraping together of grass-blades or the throbbing of the brittle tissue of insects.
—Ben Lerner, The New Yorker, 29 Mar. 2017
The accidental comedy of some of the conversations even led the program BBC Newsnight to dramatize snatches of dialogue, with the voices of both the American president and the British prime minister played by the impressionist Rory Bremner.
—Robert MacKey, New York Times, 8 Jan. 2016
Verb
When fish are stuck in the canal, predators like grebes and cormorants can more easily snatch them.
—Aaron Boorstein, Smithsonian Magazine, 12 Apr. 2024
It’s also equipped with an anti-tangle brush roll that snatches up hair and pet fur without knotting and clogging.
—Clara McMahon, Peoplemag, 9 Apr. 2024
Automattic first invested in Beeper in 2022, and late last year snatched up another messaging app, Texts, for $50 million.
—Lauren Goode, WIRED, 9 Apr. 2024
Two dogs even snatched food from surprised shoppers, according to NDTV.
—Peter Aitken, Fox News, 6 Apr. 2024
While shareholder activist Nelson Peltz tried to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat in his proxy fight with Disney, CEO Bob Iger secured a resounding win at Wednesday’s annual general meeting.
—Diane Brady, Fortune, 4 Apr. 2024
Lord's friend had his necklace snatched away and then he was struck.
—Robert Anglen, The Arizona Republic, 28 Mar. 2024
Kidnapper thwarted:Doorbell video shows mom fighting off man who snatched teen from her apartment door in NYC
Surveillance video shows shooter flee scene in dark SUV
Detroit police were dispatch at 2:45 p.m. to the parking lot of a blues bar after the shooting occurred.
—Eric Lagatta, USA TODAY, 29 Mar. 2024
Lucas Paquetá, who had taken over the captains armband from Vinicius, converted from the spot in the 96th minute; snatching a draw from the jaws of defeat.
—Joseph O'Sullivan, Forbes, 27 Mar. 2024
Noun
While there hasn’t been a particular rash of private sales scams in the city lately, Bosques recalled a case the FBI cracked with the help of a Fremont detective who was investigating a snatch-and-grab robbery at a coffee shop in 2012.
—Joseph Geha, The Mercury News, 8 June 2017
The text, sung by two sopranos, may well have been in Esperanto, as only snatches were decipherable.
—Alan G. Artner, chicagotribune.com, 4 June 2017
The beat is now peppy with drum and snatches of piano, a common Beatles rhythm.
—Nicholas Dawidoff, The Atlantic, 18 May 2017
Some were able to hear snatches of melody as subtle as the scraping together of grass-blades or the throbbing of the brittle tissue of insects.
—Ben Lerner, The New Yorker, 29 Mar. 2017
The accidental comedy of some of the conversations even led the program BBC Newsnight to dramatize snatches of dialogue, with the voices of both the American president and the British prime minister played by the impressionist Rory Bremner.
—Robert MacKey, New York Times, 8 Jan. 2016
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'snatch.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near snatch
Cite this Entry
“Snatch.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/snatch. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
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