Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

snap at

Idioms  

  1. Speak irritably or abruptly to someone, as in This teacher was always snapping at the children. This use of snap transfers an animal's sudden bite at something to a verbal attack. [Late 1500s]

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.

She came to visit once or twice, always at an inconvenient time, and after her distracted daughter snapped at her during finals week junior year, she didn’t try to visit again.

From Literature

Baring his massive yellow teeth, he snapped at the air in front of Clare’s face.

From Literature

When he offered to help me with the fire, she snapped at him, and told him to sit where he was and be quiet.

From Literature

J.W. snapped at the thing in the road, then jumped an easy five foot in the air.

From Literature

I don’t want to offer help that’s not wanted and make her snap at me that she can manage, like she did before.

From Literature

Definitions 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.