snare
1 Americannoun
verb (used with object)
-
snares,
present (3rd person singular)
-
snared,
past participle, past
-
snaring
present participle
-
to catch with a snare; entangle.
-
to catch or involve by trickery or wile.
to snare her into going.
noun
noun
-
a device for trapping birds or small animals, esp a flexible loop that is drawn tight around the prey
-
a surgical instrument for removing certain tumours, consisting of a wire loop that may be drawn tight around their base to sever or uproot them
-
anything that traps or entangles someone or something unawares
verb
-
to catch (birds or small animals) with a snare
-
to catch or trap in or as if in a snare; capture by trickery
noun
Synonym Usage
See trap 1.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
snaresimple
-
snaressimple
-
have snaredperfect
-
has snaredperfect
-
am snaringprogressive
-
are snaringprogressive
-
is snaringprogressive
-
have been snaringperfect progressive
-
has been snaringperfect progressive
Past
-
snaredsimple
-
had snaredperfect
-
was snaringprogressive
-
were snaringprogressive
-
had been snaringperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of snare1
First recorded before 1100; Middle English (noun and verb); cognate with Old Norse snara, Middle Low German snare, Old High German snar(a)ha
Origin of snare2
1680–90; < Middle Low German snare or Middle Dutch snaer string; replacing Old English snēr string of a musical instrument
Explanation
A snare is a trap, usually for small animals, and using a noose. Snare can also mean to trap in general or any type of trap, like the snare of a TV cliffhanger that traps you into watching again. If writers are to be believed, we are surrounded by snares. Francis Beaumont implores us to know that “the world’s a snare.” And Hilda Doolittle asserts that “a snare is Love.” Still Soren Kierkegaard lets us know that “the truth is a snare: you cannot have it, without being caught.” Whoever is right, it seems that you can’t escape. A snare is also a type of small drum that rattles, as well as a wire loop used by surgeons.
Vocabulary lists containing snare
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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.
See Examples For:
Three sisters almost completed an equally epic journey, but stopped when one became trapped in a snare.
From BBC ● Sep. 14, 2026
Once released, the spring-loaded snare launches the ant more than 30 centimeters upward into the spider's main web.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 26, 2026
Experts say poaching in the region has waned, though a ranger found part of an old snare during AFP's visit.
From Barron's ● Jun. 25, 2026
Tonya Lee Jaynes, the drummer, puts her entire life force into the bass and snare.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 18, 2026
‘Do you mean that he is dead, and that you knew it? You have been trying to trap me in words, playing with me? Or are you now trying to snare me with a falsehood?’
From "The Two Towers" by J. R. R. Tolkien
“With global commodity trade already facing notable logistical snares due to the ongoing closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a resumption in Houthi attacks in the Red Sea would add yet another layer of complexity.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 9, 2026
Rangers guard a mountain of confiscated snares in Murchison Falls National Park, Uganda.
From BBC ● Mar. 25, 2026
In her own roles, Qualley snares the viewer with a physical conviction so bold and confident that it’s difficult to look at any other actor when she’s in the frame.
From Salon ● Aug. 23, 2025
He snares a suite of tiles and wins a coin within 11 minutes.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 29, 2025
And I can't set snares on the run.
From "The Hunger Games" by Suzanne Collins
The trick with thrusters was evocative of what SpaceX has now been doing for years with booster rockets cruising back to earth, touching down in landing pads or being snared by launch towers.
From Slate ● Oct. 19, 2026
Moldovan tourist Raisa Neagu spent hours on Wednesday waiting to fuel up her scooter, one of many people snared in a petrol shortage on resort island Bali that authorities blamed on supply disruptions.
From Barron's ● Oct. 14, 2026
Last fall, David Osit’s level-headed documentary “Predators” examined the ethics of a show that primarily snared people who’d never before acted on their terrible urges.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 23, 2026
Kelce is not the first sports star to be snared in an investment scheme.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 18, 2026
After one particularly trying day, Mrs. Trepid snared her husband.
From "Ruby Holler" by Sharon Creech
Meanwhile, “Choosin’ Texas” is still snaring new listeners through pop radio, and Drake borrowed Langley’s hook for his song “Solar Eclipse.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 24, 2026
For nearly 40 years, Culver City’s Mr. Bones Pumpkin Patch has been a go-to destination for snaring those essential Halloween decorations all while exploring an artisanally crafted pumpkin village.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026
The Romanian filmmaker’s stoic drama is designed to provoke viewers in opposite directions, snaring them in waiting traps and causing them to concede in agony, “You have a point!”
From Salon ● Sep. 19, 2026
FBAR, far from snaring high rollers, sets the amount at $10,000.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 17, 2026
Here began countless days of hunting and snaring, fishing and gathering, roaming together through the woods, unloading our thoughts while we filled our game bags.
From "Mockingjay" by Suzanne Collins
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
