snatch

[ snach ]

/ snætʃ /

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, snatchy, snath, snazzy

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 snatcher

"It's a corrupt form for snatcher," retorted the March Hare.
Alice in Blunderland|John Kendrick Bangs
And the snatcher, w'ich was Wicked Willie, relieves 'im of it gently.
The Incendiary|W. A. (William Augustine) Leahy
She did so; and all she could remember about the snatcher was that he was a handsome young man with an eyeglass in one eye.
Dorothy's Travels|Evelyn Raymond
He said the snatcher was smarter than Auntie and he hoped it would teach her a lesson.
Dorothy's Travels|Evelyn Raymond

Two young fellows are having a friendly talk, amid which, says 1st conductor, "What did you do before you was a snatcher?"
Complete Prose Works|Walt Whitman

British Dictionary definitions for snatcher

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

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

verb (used without object)

verb (used with object)

noun

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Nearby words

Origin of snatch

Related forms

Examples from the Web for snatcher

British Dictionary definitions for snatcher

snatch

verb

noun

Derived Forms

Word Origin for snatch