snatch

[ snach ]

/ snætʃ /

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See synonyms for: snatch / snatched / snatching 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.

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Compare clean and jerk.

Origin of snatch

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

OTHER WORDS FROM snatch

snatch·a·ble, adjectivesnatcher, nounsnatch·ing·ly, adverboutsnatch, verb (used with object)

un·snatched, adjective

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

How to use snatch in a sentence

He steals the show as Hans, a bizarre dog snatcher in this new black comedy.
Christopher Walken on ‘Seven Psychopaths,’ Natalie Wood, & More|Marlow Stern|October 12, 2012|DAILY BEAST
If you were a secret gun-snatcher, would you ever imagine that gun crime inside Mexico would produce a better result?
Fast and Furious' Dumb Conspiracy Theory|David Frum|July 24, 2012|DAILY BEAST
He said the snatcher was smarter than Auntie and he hoped it would teach her a lesson.
Dorothy's Travels|Evelyn Raymond
The bass singer had made an immense hit with his song of "The Body Snatcher," and the town rushed to listen to it.
A History of Pendennis, Volume 1|William Makepeace Thackeray

I saw him, and I saw him laugh when Snatcher went rolling over in the dust.
The Imaginary Marriage|Henry St. John Cooper
What do I care whether our hero's grandfather was Archbishop of Canterbury or a professional body-snatcher?
Some Private Views|James Payn
He had all the contempt for a petty-larceny thief that the skilled safe-breaker has for the common purse-snatcher.
'Me-Smith'|Caroline Lockhart

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 forms of snatch

snatcher, 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

snatch

Origin of snatch

OTHER WORDS FROM snatch

Words related to snatch

How to use snatch in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for snatch

Derived forms of snatch

Word Origin for snatch