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 snatched

The subtext of the clown is that life is a joke and can be snatched away at any moment.
Nightmares in Face Paint: Why We’ll Always Be Afraid of Clowns|Oliver Jones|October 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The Germans and Japanese have snatched their customers away in North America.
Nationalism on Four Wheels|Clive Irving|October 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Vladimir Putin snatched Crimea from Ukraine as a strategic, patriotic, and touristic prize.
Crimea: A Patriotic Russian Vacation From Hell|Anna Nemtsova|August 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Another time, he came to the rescue of a young woman whose iPhone had been snatched by a petty thief.
Castro Street’s Hot Cop Is the Batman to Sexy Mug Shot Guy’s Joker|Itay Hod|July 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST

She snatched her purse from the kitchen counter and stormed out the front door, past his duffel bags.
Short Stories from The Daily Beast: Four Hundred Grand|Elliot Ackerman|July 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He snatched them up with his left hand, and slipped them inside his vest.
File No. 113|Emile Gaboriau
She snatched it up and ran in pursuit of the intrepid pair advancing toward the animated scene under the maple-tree.
Peggy Raymond's Vacation|Harriet L. (Harriet Lummis) Smith
She leaned over the lattice-work, snatched the candle, and ran in with it.
Christ Legends|Selma Lagerlf
He leaped forward, caught her in his arms, and snatched the knife from her grasp.
The Golden Fleece|Julian Hawthorne
Jimmie snatched up a burning brand from the fire, and waving this above his head, he kept behind the two who had guns.
Motor Boat Boys Mississippi Cruise|Louis Arundel

British Dictionary definitions for snatched

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 snatched (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 snatched (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 snatched

British Dictionary definitions for snatched

snatch

verb

noun

Word Origin for snatch

Word Origin and History for snatched (1 of 2)

snatch

Word Origin and History for snatched (1 of 2)

snatch