snare
1 Americannoun
verb (used with object)
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to catch with a snare; entangle.
-
to catch or involve by trickery or wile.
to snare her into going.
noun
noun
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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
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anything that traps or entangles someone or something unawares
verb
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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
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snaresimple
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snaressimple
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have snaredperfect
-
has snaredperfect
-
am snaringprogressive
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are snaringprogressive
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is snaringprogressive
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have been snaringperfect progressive
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has been snaringperfect progressive
Past
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snaredsimple
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had snaredperfect
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was snaringprogressive
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were snaringprogressive
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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:
But it bounced right to pitcher Brooks Raley, who flipped the ball to the plate to eventually snare Tucker in a rundown between third and home.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 25, 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
Within moments, scientists found green ants approached the trap and bit it - causing the snare to spring and the prey to be launched into the spider's web at "extreme" acceleration.
From BBC ● Jun. 23, 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
She uses a dry, tough thread for foundation lines, and she uses a sticky thread for snare lines—the ones that catch and hold insects.
From "Charlotte's Web" by E.B. White
That includes shrinking the Fed’s balance sheet to stay out of fiscal policy, and avoiding other political snares.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 24, 2026
Where Black differs from other celebrities who stride through the culture war’s snares is that he doesn’t simply claim to not have any answers, and leave it at that.
From Salon ● Apr. 2, 2026
In the Republic of Ireland glue traps are not part of the registered traps and snares that can be used in a legal manner under the Wildlife Act.
From BBC ● Feb. 2, 2026
“Additionally, because concertina coils are rigid and stay under tension, they don’t ‘sag’ or create the loose, invisible snares that single-strand wires often do over time, which helps reduce the risk of accidental wildlife entanglement.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 1, 2026
And I can't set snares on the run.
From "The Hunger Games" by Suzanne Collins
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
Rather, she’s snared Millie in a trap while desperately trying to wriggle free from one herself.
From Salon ● Jan. 31, 2026
During Brink’s return against the Las Vegas Aces on July 29, she snared an offensive rebound and splashed a three-pointer within the first minute.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 17, 2025
Seniors who forget what they have signed up for and can’t easily navigate online procedures and parents of young children who get snared into signing up for subscriptions tend to be the most common victims.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 11, 2025
The giant’s ankle snared the lines, and blue flickers of electricity shot up his body.
From "The Titan's Curse" by Rick Riordan
FBAR, far from snaring high rollers, sets the amount at $10,000.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 17, 2026
Neither player dropped serve in set one but there were three breaks to start the next set, with Anisimova snaring two of them before Wang had a medical timeout.
From Barron's ● Jan. 26, 2026
Still, for all of the song's sass and flippancy, Raye is deadly serious about snaring a partner.
From BBC ● Sep. 29, 2025
To date, few studies have assessed the impact of snare removal on snaring levels over long time periods.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 3, 2024
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
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
