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
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has snaredperfect
-
am snaringprogressive
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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:
He is fixed on the live stream as a Ukrainian snare swoops in, hovers for a few seconds and drops a net on to the drone, dragging it from the sky.
From BBC ● Oct. 16, 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
Also percussive yet much quieter is Anri Sala’s snare drum, dangling upside down from the ceiling at Esther Schipper.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 14, 2026
I thumb through the first pages hoping to find something to distract me, like a sketch of a snare, when I notice gaps in the June entries of last year.
From "On the Far Side of the Mountain" by Jean Craighead George
“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
In the 2018 book “Hinterland,” Phil A. Neel described the sound of America’s exurban sprawl as “guns cocking over trap snares unrolling to infinity.”
From Salon ● May 16, 2025
There are stories in that book of leaf-dabbing on injuries and chimps helping other chimps to remove snares from their limbs.
From BBC ● May 14, 2025
ANAHEIM, Calif. — The ebullient thrum of staccato snares, thumping sousaphones, and tramping shoes all acting in unison filled the gray morning air in the parking lot outside Angel Stadium recently.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 31, 2024
Even Gale steps into the picture on Sundays, although he’s got no love for Peeta or Haymitch, and teaches us all he knows about snares.
From "Catching Fire" by Suzanne Collins
Kelce is not the first sports star to be snared in an investment scheme.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 18, 2026
The states are teaming up to try to derail Paramount’s merger, and have snared preliminary victories — prompting a concession from Paramount to put the merger on hold until after the trial.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 2026
Next to exes like Madonna and Daryl Hannah, she was a commoner, a Calvin Klein stylist who somehow snared the heart of an American prince.
From Salon ● Feb. 12, 2026
The left-armer snared three wickets in a dramatic over to flip the game on its head as the hosts were skittled for 116 with three balls to spare.
From Barron's ● Feb. 3, 2026
Connie Peery was home from college, and she snared me for a quick dance while her boyfriend was sneaking a smoke in the parking lot across the river.
From "October Sky" by Homer Hickam
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
"Coyote vs Acme" took fifth place, with Will Forte and an animated Wile E. Coyote snaring another $5.6 million for Falling Forward Films.
From Barron's ● Sep. 13, 2026
Websites purporting to offer demo versions of the forthcoming “Grand Theft Auto” version VI are snaring gamers in malware, according to cybersecurity company Malwarebytes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026
Perhaps to shift my mind from my worries, he showed me how he did his snaring, using a few long strands of horsetail hair that he kept in his bag.
From "Crispin: The Cross of Lead" by Avi
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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.
