snatch block


nounNautical.
  1. a fairlead having the form of a block that can be opened to receive the bight of a rope at any point along its length.

Origin of snatch block

1
First recorded in 1615–25

Words Nearby snatch block

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use snatch block in a sentence

  • Maybe you noticed the boys used the snatch block two or three times this afternoon?

    Big Timber | Bertrand W. Sinclair
  • A snatch-block is a single block having a notch in one cheek to receive the bight of a fall.

    The Gunner's Examiner | Harold E. Cloke
  • It was Danny Fayle's duty to lead the warp through a snatch-block fixed to the mast-hole on to the capstan.

  • It is called a snatch-block and often employed for drawing water from wells, or for hoisting light weights.

  • Davy, the boy, led the warp through a snatch-block fixed to the mast-hole on to the capstan.

    The Deemster | Hall Caine

British Dictionary definitions for snatch block

snatch block

noun
  1. nautical a block that can be opened so that a rope can be inserted from the side, without threading it through from the end

Origin of snatch block

1
C17: so called because the rope can be inserted quickly: figuratively, the block snatches it. See snatch

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