snag
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.
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.
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
1Other words from snag
- snaglike, adjective
- un·snagged, adjective
Words Nearby snag
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use snag in a sentence
Development of an AR headset at Apple seems to have hit a snag or two under current project lead Mike Rockwell, though the report does not outline exactly which obstacles have emerged.
Apple hardware chief Dan Riccio stepped down to focus on AR/VR | Samuel Axon | February 8, 2021 | Ars TechnicaI babied mine and still saw a few small snags while bushwhacking.
It was inspiring to see how our customers reacted when we’d hit snags, like a shipping delay.
The snag is that the nonmedical part of the world has to buy in, too.
New guidance on brain death could ease debate over when life ends | Laura Sanders | August 10, 2020 | Science NewsBy May, those efforts seemed to hit a snag when the Housing Commission decided not to move forward with 10 hotel properties it had initially eyed.
Morning Report: The Seditious Language Law’s Origin Story | Voice of San Diego | August 5, 2020 | Voice of San Diego
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 | THE DAILY BEASTThe wire is long gone, but a rusted snag remains entombed in the bark.
How the Kings of Fracking Double-Crossed Their Way to Riches | ProPublica | March 13, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTThis is a snag because Chan lives across the border, where the Hong Kong Dollar is used.
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 | THE DAILY BEASTLuz 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 | THE DAILY BEASTWe made an extra steering-oar, too, because one of the others might get broke on a snag or something.
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Complete | Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens)Imbedded in this bar was a long white snag, a tree trunk whose naked arms, thrusting far down stream, had literally impaled us.
The Way of a Man | Emerson HoughAfter that I waded back to the snag carefully, and once more ordered the young woman to come to me.
The Way of a Man | Emerson HoughAt length I crept to the snag and beat against it with my cane.
Birds of the Rockies | Leander Sylvester KeyserDown the road arose sharp words of command, and the burning top of a tall pine snag threw its light upon bayonets in the highway.
An Arkansas Planter | Opie Percival Read
British Dictionary definitions for snag
/ (snæɡ) /
a difficulty or disadvantage: the 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
(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)
Origin of snag
1Derived forms of snag
- snaglike, adjective
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
Other Idioms and Phrases with snag
see hit a snag.
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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