snatch

[ snach ]

/ snætʃ /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR snatch ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used without object)

to make a sudden effort to seize something, as with the hand; grab (usually followed by at).

verb (used with object)

to seize by a sudden or hasty grasp: He snatched the old lady's purse and ran.

to take, get, secure, etc., suddenly or hastily.

to rescue or save by prompt action: He snatched the baby from the fire.

Slang. to kidnap.

noun

the act or an instance of snatching.

a sudden motion to seize something; grab: He made a snatch as if to stop her.

a bit, scrap, or fragment of something: snatches of conversation.

a brief spell of effort, activity, or any experience: to work in snatches.

Nautical. a sheave or projecting member serving as a fairlead.

a brief period of time.

Slang. an act of kidnapping.

Slang: Vulgar. vulva; vagina.

Weightlifting. a lift in which the barbell is brought in a single motion from the floor to an arms-extended position overhead.

Nearby words

snarl, snarl-up, snarler, snarly, snash, snatch, snatch block, snatch squad, snatcher, snatchy, snath

Compare clean and jerk.

Origin of snatch

1175–1225; Middle English snacche (noun), snacchen (v.) < ?; cognate with Middle Dutch snacken

Related forms

snatch·a·ble, adjectivesnatch·er, nounsnatch·ing·ly, adverbout·snatch, verb (used with object)

un·snatched, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for snatch

In another change since his transit days, crooks now snatch cellphones, not gold chains.
My Patrol With the NYPD’s Bill Bratton|Michael Daly|March 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It is easy for an unscrupulous individual to pose as an underground banker, snatch up several large deposits, then cut and run.
Inside China's Underground Black Market Banks|Brendon Hong|February 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The company reported $2.4 billion in annual sales and could snatch a valuation as high as $5 billion.
Kanye West Is a Modern Michelangelo; Pippa Middleton Jokes About Her Bridesmaid Dress|The Fashion Beast Team|February 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Police believe that their rigorous schedule actually gave the alleged abductors a safe window in which to snatch the child.
Did This Man Abduct Madeleine McCann?|Barbie Latza Nadeau|October 14, 2013|DAILY BEAST

Scar-Jo, who also received the title in 2006, is the only woman to ever snatch it twice.
Scarlett Johansson Named "Sexiest Woman Alive;" Kate Moss to Revive Collaboration With Topshop|The Fashion Beast Team|October 7, 2013|DAILY BEAST
She thought Alice a bit of a sneak, an opinion her brothers shared, and Gwen rather a snatch at meals.
Ann Veronica|H. G. Wells
Esther heard her moving about, opening and shutting boxes and singing a snatch of song all the time.
The Phantom Lover|Ruby M. Ayres
She looked at it as though ready to snatch it from his hand.
A Maker of History|E. Phillips Oppenheim
Snatch from their enemies the descendants of my sister, from the artisan up to the king's son.
The Wandering Jew, Complete|Eugene Sue
But France, from various motives, did not shew herself disposed to snatch Canada from the English.
Memoirs, Correspondence and Manuscripts of General Lafayette|Lafayette

British Dictionary definitions for snatch

snatch

/ (snætʃ) /

verb

(tr) to seize or grasp (something) suddenly or peremptorilyhe snatched the chocolate out of my hand

(intr usually foll by at) to seize or attempt to seize suddenly

(tr) to take hurriedlyto snatch some sleep

(tr) to remove suddenlyshe snatched her hand away

(tr) to gain, win, or rescue, esp narrowlythey snatched victory in the closing seconds

(tr) (in weightlifting) to lift (a weight) with a snatch

snatch one's time Australian informal to leave a job, taking whatever pay is due

noun

an act of snatching

a fragment or small incomplete partsnatches of conversation

a brief spellsnatches of time off

weightlifting a lift in which the weight is raised in one quick motion from the floor to an overhead position

slang, mainly US an act of kidnapping

British slang a robberya diamond snatch

Derived Formssnatcher, noun

Word Origin for snatch

C13 snacchen; related to Middle Dutch snakken to gasp, Old Norse snaka to sniff around

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for snatch (1 of 2)

snatch

early 13c., "make a sudden snap or bite" (at something), of uncertain origin; perhaps from an unrecorded Old English *snæccan or Middle Dutch snacken "to snatch, chatter." Cf. snack (n.). Meaning "lay hold of suddenly" is from early 14c.; especially "take from someone's hands" (1580s). Weight-lifting sense is attested from 1928. Related: Snatched; snatching.

Word Origin and History for snatch (1 of 2)

snatch

c.1300, "a trap, snare," from snatch (v.). Meaning "a sudden grab" is from 1570s; that of "a small amount" is from 1590s. Sense in weight-lifting is from 1928. Vulgar slang sense of "vulva" is recorded from 1903; a much older venereal sense was "sexual intercourse quickly performed" (1580s).

snatch

verb (used without object)

verb (used with object)

noun

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Origin of snatch

Examples from the Web for snatch

British Dictionary definitions for snatch

snatch

verb

noun

Word Origin for snatch

Word Origin and History for snatch (1 of 2)

snatch

Word Origin and History for snatch (1 of 2)

snatch