snag

[snag]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR snag ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a tree or part of a tree held fast in the bottom of a river, lake, etc., and forming an impediment or danger to navigation.

a short, projecting stump, as of a branch broken or cut off.

any sharp or rough projection.

a jagged hole, tear, pull, or run in a fabric, as caused by catching on a sharp projection.

any obstacle or impediment.

a stump of a tooth or a projecting tooth; snaggletooth.

verb (used with object), snagged, snag·ging.

to run or catch up on a snag.

to damage by so doing.

to obstruct or impede, as a snag does: He snagged all my efforts.

to grab; seize: to snag the last piece of pie.

verb (used without object), snagged, snag·ging.

to become entangled with some obstacle or hindrance.

to become tangled: This line snags every time I cast.

(of a boat) to strike a snag.

to form a snag.

Origin of snag

First recorded in 1570–80, snag is from the Old Norse word snagi point, projection

Related formssnag·like, adjectiveun·snagged, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for snag

crunch, barrier, difficulty, inconvenience, drawback, holdup, hitch, glitch, obstacle, impediment, hurdle, bug, disadvantage, rip, clog, bar, puzzler, blockade, fix, spot

Examples from the Web for snag

Contemporary Examples of snag

He was 19, and managed to snag a summer internship with New Line Cinema.
‘Mockingjay’s’ Mastermind: Francis Lawrence on the Book vs. Movie, ISIS Parallels, and More
Marlow Stern
November 23, 2014
This is a snag because Chan lives across the border, where the Hong Kong Dollar is used.
Inside China's Underground Black Market Banks
Brendon Hong
February 26, 2014
Over the last four years, however, the process has hit a snag.
As GOP Senators Block Obama’s Nominees, Democrats Prepare ‘Nuclear Option’
Jamelle Bouie
May 30, 2013
Luz gets away and hires Malone to take her over the border, where Thacker and others are waiting to snag her.
This Week’s Hot Reads: May 20, 2013
Cameron Martin, Jessica Ferri, Jimmy So
May 20, 2013
Megan wants Don to help her snag an audition for a shoe commercial.
‘Mad Men’ Returns: A Recap of Season Five
Jace Lacob
April 5, 2013

Historical Examples of snag

We also paused to look at the body of a dead alligator which had been caught in a snag.
The Last Voyage
Lady (Annie Allnutt) Brassey
Then I had to look at the river mighty quick, because there was a snag in the fairway.
Heart of Darkness
Joseph Conrad
If we'd struck a snag that would have held the tree, it would have been 'good-night' for us.
Prairie Flowers
James B. Hendryx
The only snag in the latter theory was the fact of our accident.
Highways in Hiding
George Oliver Smith
They were always to be seen lying on a log or snag in the water.
"Five-Head" Creek; and Fish Drugging In The Pacific
Louis Becke

British Dictionary definitions for snag

snag

noun

a difficulty or disadvantagethe snag is that I have nothing suitable to wear

a sharp protuberance, such as a tree stump

a small loop or hole in a fabric caused by a sharp object

engineering a projection that brings to a stop a sliding or rotating component

mainly US and Canadian a tree stump in a riverbed that is dangerous to navigation

US and Canadian a standing dead tree, esp one used as a perch by an eagle

(plural) Australian slang sausages

verb snags, snagging or snagged

(tr) to hinder or impede

(tr) to tear or catch (fabric)

(intr) to develop a snag

(intr) mainly US and Canadian (of a boat) to strike or be damaged by a snag

(tr) mainly US and Canadian to clear (a stretch of water) of snags

(tr) US to seize (an opportunity, benefit, etc)

Derived Formssnaglike, adjective

Word Origin for snag

C16: of Scandinavian origin; compare Old Norse snaghyrndr sharp-pointed, Norwegian snage spike, Icelandic snagi peg

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

Word Origin and History for snag

1570s, "stump of a tree, branch," of Scandinavian origin, cf. Old Norse snagi "clothes peg," snaga "a kind of ax," snag-hyrndr "snag-cornered, with sharp points." The ground sense seems to be "a sharp protuberance." The meaning "sharp or jagged projection" is first recorded 1580s; especially "tree or branch in water and partly near the surface, so as to be dangerous to navigation" (1807). The figurative meaning "obstacle, impediment" is from 1829.

"be caught on an impediment," 1807, from snag (n.). Originally in American English, often in reference to steamboats caught on branches and stumps lodged in riverbeds. Of fabric, from 1967. The transitive meaning "to catch, steal, pick up" is U.S. colloquial, attested from 1895. Related: Snagged; snagging.

Idioms and Phrases with snag

snag

see hit a snag.