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definitions

snatch

[snach]
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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)

noun

Compare clean and jerk.

Origin of snatch

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

Related Words for snatched

cunt, pussy, pull, kidnap, rescue, jerk, seize, wrest, win, pluck, snag, jump, wrench, clutch, catch, abduct, steal, yank, muff, box

Examples from the Web for snatched

Contemporary Examples of snatched

Historical Examples of snatched

  • People giggled, and she snatched her hand away, blushing furiously.

  • And it was true I could have snatched the meat from her like a wolf, but because of my vow I would not.

    The Trail Book

    Mary Austin

  • Tiennette snatched from the hands of Rose and Jeanne the stockings they were coveting.

    The Dream

    Emile Zola

  • And with a sudden movement, as the Huberts closed it to give it back to her, she snatched it from them.

    The Dream

    Emile Zola

  • Then he sprang upon the slippery rock and snatched the gold.

British Dictionary definitions for snatched

snatch

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 snatched

snatch

v.

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.

snatch

n.

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).

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper