snippet

American  

[snip-it] / ˈsnɪp ɪt /

noun

1. a small piece snipped off; a small bit, scrap, or fragment.

   an anthology of snippets.

2. Informal. a small or insignificant person.

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snippet British  

/ ˈsnɪpɪt /

noun

1. a small scrap or fragment

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Other Word Forms

• snippetiness noun
• snippety adjective

Etymology

Origin of snippet

First recorded in 1655–65; snip + -et

Explanation

A snippet is a tiny piece. You might only have time to read a snippet of "Moby Dick" before your early English class — just enough to know it's a book about a whale. While a snippet can be a literal fragment of something, like a snippet of hair clipped off the end of your dog's tail, the word is often used to talk about less physical bits. You may get a snippet of information by watching TV news with the sound turned off, or end your writing workshop with just a snippet of an idea for your screenplay. It comes from snip, with its Low German root snippen, "to snip or shred."

Example Sentences

But his big break would be the 13-second Whopper-chomp snippet.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 7, 2026

In October, the singer-songwriter Zach Bryan teased a snippet of a new song on Instagram.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 10, 2026

But others say it can be effective in helping us find a snippet of calm in a busy, intense world.

From BBC • Nov. 8, 2025

There’s one scene in which Grace reveals a snippet of backstory that might explain her psychology, and I think that specificity is a narrative misstep.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 5, 2025

I sat down and read the diary one more time, looking for a clue, a reference, a snippet of something that I might have missed.

From "Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing" by Ted Conover

Related Words

• bit
• fragment
• morsel
• smidgen