snatch
to make a sudden effort to seize something, as with the hand; grab (usually followed by at).
to seize by a sudden or hasty grasp: He snatched the old lady's purse and ran.
to take, get, secure, etc., suddenly or hastily.
to rescue or save by prompt action: He snatched the baby from the fire.
Slang. to kidnap.
the act or an instance of snatching.
a sudden motion to seize something; grab: He made a snatch as if to stop her.
a bit, scrap, or fragment of something: snatches of conversation.
a brief spell of effort, activity, or any experience: to work in snatches.
Nautical. a sheave or projecting member serving as a fairlead.
a brief period of time.
Slang. an act of kidnapping.
Slang: Vulgar. vulva; vagina.
Weightlifting. a lift in which the barbell is brought in a single motion from the floor to an arms-extended position overhead.
Origin of snatch
1Other words from snatch
- snatch·a·ble, adjective
- snatcher, noun
- snatch·ing·ly, adverb
- outsnatch, verb (used with object)
- un·snatched, adjective
- Compare clean and jerk.
Words Nearby snatch
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use snatch in a sentence
The most dramatic pounce on film may be the neck-stretching snatch by the Psorophora larva.
Video captures young mosquitoes launching their heads to eat other mosquitoes | Susan Milius | October 4, 2022 | Science NewsRather than a chain or tow strap, which don’t stretch and therefore create very high momentary loads, an elastic snatch or kinetic strap or rope will help reduce forces and actually make it easier to get the vehicle unstuck.
7 Tools No Adventuremobile Owner Should Leave Home Without | wsiler | July 30, 2022 | Outside Online“Both of y’all know, I’ve been collecting my little surgeons for that inevitable moment…that this grill right here is gonna get a little snatch, even though people think I have done it already, but I haven’t,” she told her mother and daughter.
Jada Pinkett-Smith and Daughter Willow Reveal They’ve Each Considered BBL Surgery | Rivea Ruff | September 30, 2021 | Essence.comThen, intermittently, traffic controllers were able to pick up snatches of conversation from AA-11′s cockpit.
Sept. 11, 2001: An ordinary work day, then surreal scenes of dread and death | David Maraniss | September 10, 2021 | Washington PostIt's not fun to conduct a hazardous snatch of an insurgent leader, only to find you grabbed the wrong guy.
In another change since his transit days, crooks now snatch cellphones, not gold chains.
It is easy for an unscrupulous individual to pose as an underground banker, snatch up several large deposits, then cut and run.
The company reported $2.4 billion in annual sales and could snatch a valuation as high as $5 billion.
Kanye West Is a Modern Michelangelo; Pippa Middleton Jokes About Her Bridesmaid Dress | The Fashion Beast Team | February 26, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTGuests snatch up the eccentric-looking drinks that line the bar as they wander around before the performance.
Keep a starving man away from bread when he has only to stretch out his hand and snatch it.
Tessa Wadsworth's Discipline | Jennie M. DrinkwaterYou snatch me out of the cold cloister, but, in the bustling, ardent world you condemn me to the conventional chastity?
Balsamo, The Magician | Alexander DumasJack Harvey had sent young Tim into the cabin to snatch a wink of sleep, and Joe had come up, heavy and dull.
The Rival Campers | Ruel Perley SmithThen, as the insect tumbled near her, she made a quick snatch at the glowing point of fire.
Menotah | Ernest G. HenhamThey were the real enemies of my children; they sought to snatch the crown; I saw them daily at work and they wore me out.
Catherine de' Medici | Honore de Balzac
British Dictionary definitions for snatch
/ (snætʃ) /
(tr) to seize or grasp (something) suddenly or peremptorily: he snatched the chocolate out of my hand
(intr usually foll by at) to seize or attempt to seize suddenly
(tr) to take hurriedly: to snatch some sleep
(tr) to remove suddenly: she snatched her hand away
(tr) to gain, win, or rescue, esp narrowly: they snatched victory in the closing seconds
(tr) (in weightlifting) to lift (a weight) with a snatch
snatch one's time Australian informal to leave a job, taking whatever pay is due
an act of snatching
a fragment or small incomplete part: snatches of conversation
a brief spell: snatches of time off
weightlifting a lift in which the weight is raised in one quick motion from the floor to an overhead position
slang, mainly US an act of kidnapping
British slang a robbery: a diamond snatch
Origin of snatch
1Derived forms of snatch
- snatcher, noun
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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