snip
Americanverb (used with object)
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to cut with a small, quick stroke, or a succession of such strokes, with scissors or the like.
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to remove or cut off (something) by or as by cutting in this manner.
to snip a rose.
verb (used without object)
noun
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the act of snipping, as with scissors.
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a small cut made by snipping.
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a small piece snipped off.
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a small piece, bit, or amount of anything.
a snip of food.
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Informal. a small or insignificant person.
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Informal. a presumptuous or impertinent person.
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snips, small, strong hand shears used by sheet metal workers.
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British Informal. a bargain.
verb
noun
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the act of snipping
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the sound of scissors or shears closing
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Also called: snipping. a small piece of anything, esp one that has been snipped off
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a small cut made by snipping
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an informal word for bargain
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informal something easily done; cinch
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informal a small or insignificant person or thing, esp an irritating or insolent one
interjection
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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snipsimple
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snipssimple
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have snippedperfect
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has snippedperfect
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am snippingprogressive
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are snippingprogressive
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is snippingprogressive
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have been snippingperfect progressive
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has been snippingperfect progressive
Past
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snippedsimple
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had snippedperfect
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was snippingprogressive
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were snippingprogressive
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had been snippingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of snip
1550–60; origin uncertain; compare Dutch, Low German snippen to snip, catch, clip
Explanation
To snip is to cut with short, quick strokes, the way you'd snip your bangs in the mirror, or snip off a loose thread hanging from your jacket. A gardener snips dead blooms from a plant so new ones can grow, and a dog groomer carefully snips the hair covering your terrier's face so she can see where she's going. Snip is also a noun: "I saved a snip of the baby's hair to put in your scrapbook." The noun came first, initially meaning "a small piece of cut out cloth." In the 16th century, it was also a common nickname for a tailor.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
They are quick to snip losses and quick to take profits.
From Barron's ● Feb. 11, 2026
The £8.5m paid to Djurgarden in February 2024 - before loaning him back to the Swedish club for the rest of the season - already looks a snip.
From BBC ● Jan. 8, 2025
Artichoke Potato Salad, on the other hand, is ladies luncheon, serve in a pretty bowl, snip some fresh dill, bring on the flavor, bring on the texture, pizzaz-y potato salad.
From Salon ● May 9, 2024
Its forms include a strip that providers snip to make the needed dose.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 17, 2023
“Me? I am Fiona O’Reilly. My pa brought me to this place from Ireland when I was just a wee snip of a thing—’bout the age of that cub you be holdin’ on to.
From "Copper Sun" by Sharon M. Draper
While it has been directed with careful attention to shaping its emotional arc by Tim Jackson, “Two Strangers” might have amplified its charms with a few snips of the scissors.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 27, 2025
Rpn11 snips off these tags, enabling the misfolded protein to slip into the proteasome core for disassembly.
From Science Daily ● Apr. 30, 2024
The scientists attached this tag to protein toxins and the gene-editing enzyme Cas9, a large molecular scissors that snips DNA at a location specified by a molecule that guides the scissors to the right place.
From Scientific American ● Mar. 29, 2023
The whirring of four electric sewing machines, snips from two industrial-sized scissors and the sizzle of moist fabric as steam billows from a large pressing iron.
From BBC ● Jan. 31, 2023
He sets a stool on the sidewalk and throws a mostly clean towel over Bernd’s shoulders and snips away.
From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr
"We might get absolutely snipped," said Kyrgios, who lost to Djokovic in the only major final of his turbulent career at Wimbledon in 2022.
From BBC ● Dec. 30, 2024
Perhaps you feel sad that the life of your placenta was cut short, snipped from existence.
From Slate ● Sep. 7, 2024
Insert the pastry bag or snipped corner of the plastic bag into the hole on the side of the doughnut.
From Washington Times ● Dec. 12, 2023
With some help, she managed to get the mayor into his professional attire before the gallery owner snipped a yellow ribbon with an oversized pair of scissors.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 20, 2023
In fact, fences were constantly being snipped accidentally so that skinny cows, horses, or sheep might wander off their owner’s mini-dustbowls into their neighbors’ less parched fields.
From "The Milagro Beanfield War" by John Nichols
They then lug heavy loads back home, spreading the seaweed out on the ground and snipping off residue.
From Barron's ● Jun. 30, 2026
"But if we can do gene therapy that doesn't involve snipping DNA strands, then we avoid these potential pitfalls."
From Science Daily ● Jan. 5, 2026
Toni Yoakam, who founded the World Wide Weight Pull Organization, recalls the owner of a 3.5-pound miniature poodle snipping pompoms off her pooch’s feet and ears to get her to 3 pounds.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 20, 2025
Calder, the top flight's chief growth officer, is the man snipping the competition's name to simply 'the Prem' for next season.
From BBC ● Jun. 19, 2025
She was snipping off the seedpods with a pair of shears.
From "The Handmaid's Tale" by Margaret Atwood
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
