verb (used without object)
1.
to make a sudden effort to seize something, as with the hand; grab (usually followed by at ).
verb (used with object)
2.
to seize by a sudden or hasty grasp: He snatched the old lady's purse and ran.
3.
to take, get, secure, etc., suddenly or hastily.
4.
to rescue or save by prompt action: He snatched the baby from the fire.
5.
Slang. to kidnap.
00:10
Snatch
is one of our favorite verbs.
So is absquatulate. Does it mean:
| to run away hurriedly; flee. |
| to flee; abscond: |
noun
6.
the act or an instance of snatching.
7.
a sudden motion to seize something; grab: He made a snatch as if to stop her.
8.
a bit, scrap, or fragment of something: snatches of conversation.
9.
a brief spell of effort, activity, or any experience: to work in snatches.
10.
Nautical. a sheave or projecting member serving as a fairlead.
11.
a brief period of time.
12.
Slang. an act of kidnapping.
13.
Slang: Vulgar. vulva; vagina.
14.
Weightlifting. a lift in which the barbell is brought in a single motion from the floor to an arms-extended position overhead.
Compare clean and jerk.
Origin:
1175–1225; Middle English snacche (noun), snacchen (v.) < ?; cognate with Middle Dutch snacken
1175–1225; Middle English snacche (noun), snacchen (v.) < ?; cognate with Middle Dutch snacken
Related forms
snatch·a·ble, adjective
snatch·er, noun
snatch·ing·ly, adverb
out·snatch, verb (used with object)
un·snatched, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source
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Link To snatch
Collins
World English Dictionary
snatch (snætʃ) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —vb (usually foll by at) | |
| 1. | (tr) to seize or grasp (something) suddenly or peremptorily: he snatched the chocolate out of my hand |
| 2. | to seize or attempt to seize suddenly |
| 3. | (tr) to take hurriedly: to snatch some sleep |
| 4. | (tr) to remove suddenly: she snatched her hand away |
| 5. | (tr) to gain, win, or rescue, esp narrowly: they snatched victory in the closing seconds |
| 6. | (tr) (in weightlifting) to lift (a weight) with a snatch |
| 7. | informal (Austral) snatch one's time to leave a job, taking whatever pay is due |
| —n | |
| 8. | an act of snatching |
| 9. | a fragment or small incomplete part: snatches of conversation |
| 10. | a brief spell: snatches of time off |
| 11. | weightlifting a lift in which the weight is raised in one quick motion from the floor to an overhead position |
| 12. | slang chiefly (US) an act of kidnapping |
| 13. | slang (Brit) a robbery: a diamond snatch |
| [C13 snacchen; related to Middle Dutch snakken to gasp, Old Norse snaka to sniff around] | |
| 'snatcher | |
| —n | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
snatch
early 13c., perhaps from M.Du. snacken "to snatch, chatter." The noun is attested from c.1300; vulgar slang sense of "vulva" is recorded from 1903; from a much older sense of "sexual intercourse quickly performed" (1580s). Weight-lifting sense is attested from 1928.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Slang Dictionary
snatch definition
|
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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Nearby Words
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