snag

[ snag ]

/ snæg /

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.

RELATED WORDS

rip, tear, nail, hole

Nearby words

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

Examples from the Web for snagged

He snagged the best actor award at the 2000 Cannes Film Festival for In the Mood for Love.
Tony Leung on His Journey to Kung Fu Spirituality in ‘The Grandmaster’|Jean Trinh|August 24, 2013|DAILY BEAST
In reality, Lochte snagged two gold, two silver and one bronze.
Ryan Lochte: Sex, Swimming & More Crazy Things From Reality TV Trailer|Anna Klassen|March 26, 2013|DAILY BEAST
In 2004 Pete Cabrinha snagged a “bomb,” but realized it only after watching the video.
Top Five Biggest Surfer Waves (Video)|The Daily Beast|November 14, 2011|DAILY BEAST
Bremer also snagged an award from the Minnesota chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists in June.
Leading the Anti-Bachmann Army|David A. Graham|July 19, 2011|DAILY BEAST

Outside, Londoner Bryan Butler, who snagged a copy, said he had read the paper every Sunday for 30 years.
Brits Bid ‘World’ Goodbye|Sam Bungey|July 10, 2011|DAILY BEAST
Directly ahead, the truant paddle had snagged against a log which protruded from the water.
Dan Carter and the Great Carved Face|Mildred A. Wirt
There is no evidence of the use of a cutting tool; the edges of the patching pieces were torn or snagged along a thread.
Chincha Plain-weave cloths|Lila M. O'Neale
This lake ends in a big muskeg, and we snagged our canoe there one fall.
For the Allinson Honor|Harold Bindloss
The night passed quietly and with the morning they began to make preparations looking to the repairing of the snagged Comfort.
Motor Boat Boys Among the Florida Keys|Louis Arundel
Giving no thought to her clothes, she squeezed through the narrow opening and snagged her sweater.
Signal in the Dark|Mildred A. Wirt

British Dictionary definitions for snagged

snag

/ (snæɡ) /

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 snagged (1 of 2)

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.

Word Origin and History for snagged (1 of 2)

snag

"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 snagged

snag

see hit a snag.

snag

noun

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

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

RELATED CONTENT

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of snag

Examples from the Web for snagged

British Dictionary definitions for snagged

snag

noun

verb snags, snagging or snagged

Word Origin for snag

Word Origin and History for snagged (1 of 2)

snag

Word Origin and History for snagged (1 of 2)

snag

Idioms and Phrases with snagged

snag