snapshot

American  

[snap-shot] / ˈsnæpˌʃɒt /

noun

• snapshots
  plural

1. an informal photograph, especially one taken quickly by a handheld camera.

2. Hunting. a quick shot taken without deliberate aim.

3. Informal. a brief appraisal, summary, or profile.

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verb (used with or without object)

snapshot, snapshotted, snapshotting

1. to photograph informally and quickly.

snapshot British  

/ ˈsnæpˌʃɒt /

noun

1. Often shortened to: snap. an informal photograph taken with a simple camera

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• snapshots
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of snapshot

1800–10 snapshot for def. 2; 1860–65 snapshot for def. 1; snap (in the sense “done suddenly or casually”) + shot ¹

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Explanation

A snapshot is a quick photograph taken for fun. Be sure to take lots of snapshots while you're on vacation! Using the word snapshot makes it clear you're not talking about professional photographs or artistic shots you've put some thought into. A snapshot just captures a brief moment in time. You can also use this word to mean "impression or summary." A person's obituary, even if deeply moving, can never be more than a snapshot of their varied, complex life. The original 17th0century meaning of snapshot was "quick shot with a gun at a fast-moving target."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

snapshot snapshots snapshotted snapshotting

But the monthly snapshot looks very different elsewhere.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 30, 2026

The latest snapshot of the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification projects that more than four million children aged six months to five years old will need treatment for acute malnutrition next year.

From Barron's ● Oct. 20, 2026

Here is a snapshot of why life in California is so expensive.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026

A more direct snapshot of the past six years also shows things are improving.

From BBC ● Oct. 15, 2026

It had a color snapshot of her in a Tangerine High School uniform.

From "Tangerine" by Edward Bloor

Time has now transformed the pictures from informal snapshots of an underground scene into historical documents.

From BBC ● Oct. 4, 2026

Taken together, they provide something like a sequence of snapshots, allowing researchers to reconstruct how gas dispersal changes as systems grow older.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 28, 2026

But these songs are mostly character-driven rather than diaristic, offering brief snapshots of oddballs moving through a confusing landscape.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 8, 2026

However, the SSA currently does not provide the same detailed, real-time metrics as it did in the past, instead providing only snapshots of its performance, which makes it difficult to verify the improvements, critics said.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 20, 2026

Like a waterfall of snapshots, the memories splashed through my mind.

From "The Season of Styx Malone" by Kekla Magoon

The student survey indicating widespread opposition to the policy—released in February shortly after the grade proposal was publicized—was taken at an “unrepresentative moment” because it snapshotted students’ initial shock, she said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 3, 2026

Users can choose which apps are used by the feature, and private mode on some browsers will not be snapshotted.

From BBC ● Apr. 11, 2025

“I know sometimes things can be snapshotted in a certain way in a particular cultural moment,” said Hernandez.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 11, 2024

Josh Kaplan explains this weird new surveillance technology that most people are still unaware of—especially those whose cars are being snapshotted.

From Slate ● Jul. 10, 2019

He began passing samples of his skill to Peter Rolls, calling out rather loudly the names of ladies snapshotted.

From Winnie Childs The Shop Girl by C. N. (Charles Norris) Williamson

The Chief of Police has just been here and left instructions that snapshotting is an invasion of private rights.

From The Tempering by Charles Neville Buck

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Related Words

• photo

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