snipe
Also British, snite [snahyt] /snaɪt/ . any of several long-billed game birds of the genera Gallinago (sometimes Capella) and Limnocryptes, inhabiting marshy areas, as G. gallinago(com·mon snipe, orwhole snipe ), of Eurasia and North America, having barred and striped white, brown, and black plumage.
any of several other long-billed birds, as some sandpipers.
a shot, usually from a hidden position.
to shoot or hunt snipe.
to shoot at individuals as opportunity offers from a concealed or distant position: The enemy was sniping from the roofs.
to attack a person or a person's work with petulant or snide criticism, especially anonymously or from a safe distance.
Origin of snipe
1Other words from snipe
- snipe·like, adjective
- snip·er, noun
- coun·ter·snip·er, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
British Dictionary definitions for snipe
/ (snaɪp) /
any of various birds of the genus Gallinago (or Capella) and related genera, such as G. gallinago (common or Wilson's snipe), of marshes and river banks, having a long straight bill: family Scolopacidae (sandpipers, etc), order Charadriiformes
any of various similar related birds, such as certain sandpipers and curlews
a shot, esp a gunshot, fired from a place of concealment
(when intr, often foll by at) to attack (a person or persons) with a rifle from a place of concealment
(intr often foll by at) to criticize adversely a person or persons from a position of security
(intr) to hunt or shoot snipe
Origin of snipe
1Derived forms of snipe
- snipelike, adjective
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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