snapshot
Americannoun
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snapshots
plural
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an informal photograph, especially one taken quickly by a handheld camera.
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Hunting. a quick shot taken without deliberate aim.
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Informal. a brief appraisal, summary, or profile.
verb (used with or without object)
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of snapshot
1800–10 snapshot for def. 2; 1860–65 snapshot for def. 1; snap (in the sense “done suddenly or casually”) + shot 1
Explanation
A snapshot is a quick photograph taken for fun. Be sure to take lots of snapshots while you're on vacation! Using the word snapshot makes it clear you're not talking about professional photographs or artistic shots you've put some thought into. A snapshot just captures a brief moment in time. You can also use this word to mean "impression or summary." A person's obituary, even if deeply moving, can never be more than a snapshot of their varied, complex life. The original 17th0century meaning of snapshot was "quick shot with a gun at a fast-moving target."
Vocabulary lists containing snapshot
Photography Lingo
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Additional Literary Terms, Unit 2
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Here’s a wrapup of what some CFOs and C-suite leaders said on earnings calls about the most recent snapshot of their financial health:
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 14, 2026
Yeah, those are just polls and they only offer you a vague snapshot in time.
From Salon ● Oct. 9, 2026
Looking back, Winston sees the image as a snapshot of a pivotal period in his life.
From BBC ● Oct. 4, 2026
The snapshot captured the family of three from the back as they watch a Dodgers game on TV while wearing matching jerseys.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 29, 2026
No. This isn’t some police sketch or shady security camera snapshot.
From "What If It's Us" by Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera
Taken together, they provide something like a sequence of snapshots, allowing researchers to reconstruct how gas dispersal changes as systems grow older.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 28, 2026
The task for Burnham is to meld these snapshots into a compelling and coherent narrative, culminating in a vision of the Britain he wants to see a decade from now.
From BBC ● Sep. 24, 2026
His gaze shifts past snapshots he once documented of historical taut moments in Los Angeles like the 1966 Sunset Strip riots of West Hollywood or the 1970 Chicano Moratorium in Boyle Heights.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2026
The manuscript, which includes the daughter’s blurry Polaroid snapshots and postcards from their travels, chronicles the pair’s trials, adventures and conversations as they pursue Nanna’s past and their own futures.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026
A few snapshots of Mom and Daddy in college, friends first before they fell in love.
From "Caterpillar Summer" by Gillian McDunn
The student survey indicating widespread opposition to the policy—released in February shortly after the grade proposal was publicized—was taken at an “unrepresentative moment” because it snapshotted students’ initial shock, she said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 3, 2026
Users can choose which apps are used by the feature, and private mode on some browsers will not be snapshotted.
From BBC ● Apr. 11, 2025
“I know sometimes things can be snapshotted in a certain way in a particular cultural moment,” said Hernandez.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 11, 2024
Josh Kaplan explains this weird new surveillance technology that most people are still unaware of—especially those whose cars are being snapshotted.
From Slate ● Jul. 10, 2019
We raced our car along the beach, got out and snapshotted one another, admired the views, and cut up generally like a gang of boys let loose from school.
From On the Fringe of the Great Fight by George G. (George Gallie) Nasmith
The Chief of Police has just been here and left instructions that snapshotting is an invasion of private rights.
From The Tempering by Charles Neville Buck
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
