snapper

American  

[snap-er] / ˈsnæp ər /

noun

snapper, plural snappers plural, plural

1. any of several large marine food fishes of the family Lutjanidae.

2. any of various other fishes, as the bluefish, Pomatomus saltatrix.

3. snapping turtle.

4. Informal. a person in charge of a group of workers.

5. a tuft or knot of cotton, horsehair, hemp, etc., at the tip of a whip's lash; cracker; popper.

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snapper British  

/ ˈsnæpə /

noun

1. any large sharp-toothed percoid food fish of the family Lutjanidae of warm and tropical coastal regions See also red snapper

2. a sparid food fish, Chrysophrys auratus, of Australia and New Zealand, that has a pinkish body covered with blue spots

3. another name for bluefish snapping turtle

4. a person or thing that snaps

5. informal a person who takes snapshots; photographer

6. informal a baby

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• snapper
  plural
• snappers
  plural

Etymology

Origin of snapper

First recorded in 1525–35; snap + -er ¹

Example Sentences

It takes a big collective effort of a dozen or more people to drag the wriggling mass of snapper, mackerel, barracuda, rays, and many more fish besides, onto the beach.

From BBC • Jul. 5, 2026

Abeta says the administration is also developing ocean farming of species like milkfish, snapper and sea cucumbers to support exports and domestic food security.

From BBC • Apr. 26, 2026

Former USC long snapper Jake Olson made college football history at the Coliseum in September 2017 as the first completely blind player to compete in a Division I college football game.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 24, 2026

On the lunch menu: red snapper the captain caught that morning.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 11, 2026

“Okay, so that old snapper snapped me good, and I thought maybe I’d go after him and b-bring him b-back to my uncle’s place. He’d be a good trick to play on somebody’s b-bed.”

From "Mississippi Trial, 1955" by Chris Crowe

Related Words

• tortoise