snare
1[ snair ]
/ snɛər /
noun
a device, often consisting of a noose, for capturing small game.
anything serving to entrap or entangle unawares; trap.
Surgery. a wire noose for removing tumors or the like by the roots or at the base.
verb (used with object), snared, snar·ing.
to catch with a snare; entangle.
to catch or involve by trickery or wile: to snare her into going.
RELATED WORDS
entangle, enmesh, corral, lure, wire, bait, temptation, decoy, trick, enticement, come-on, catch, noose, net, allurement, deception, pitfall, quicksand, entrapment, seduce
Nearby words
Origin of snare
1before 1100; Middle English (noun and v.); cognate with Old Norse snara, Middle Low German snare, Old High German snar(a)ha
Related forms
snare·less, adjectivesnar·er, nounsnar·ing·ly, adverbun·snared, adjectiveDefinition for snare (2 of 2)
snare
2[ snair ]
/ snɛər /
noun
one of the strings of gut or of tightly spiraled metal stretched across the skin of a snare drum.
Origin of snare
21680–90; < Middle Low German snare or Middle Dutch snaer string; replacing Old English snēr string of a musical instrument
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for snare
British Dictionary definitions for snare (1 of 2)
snare
1/ (snɛə) /
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 (tr)
to catch (birds or small animals) with a snare
to catch or trap in or as if in a snare; capture by trickery
Derived Forms
snareless, adjectivesnarer, nounWord Origin for snare
Old English sneare, from Old Norse snara; related to Old High German snaraha
British Dictionary definitions for snare (2 of 2)
snare
2/ (snɛə) /
noun
music a set of gut strings wound with wire fitted against the lower drumhead of a snare drum. They produce a rattling sound when the drum is beatenSee snare drum
Word Origin for snare
C17: from Middle Dutch snaer or Middle Low German snare string; related to Gothic snōrjō basket
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Medicine definitions for snare
snare
[ snâr ]
n.
A surgical instrument with a wire loop controlled by a mechanism in the handle, used to remove growths, such as tumors and polyps.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.