snipe

American  

[snahyp] / snaɪp /

noun

plural

snipes,

plural

snipe

1. Also snite any of several long-billed game birds of the genera Gallinago (sometimesCapella ) and Limnocryptes, inhabiting marshy areas, as G. gallinago common snipe, orwhole snipe, of Eurasia and North America, having barred and striped white, brown, and black plumage.

2. any of several other long-billed birds, as some sandpipers.

3. a shot, usually from a hidden position.

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verb (used without object)

sniped, sniping

1. to shoot or hunt snipe.

2. to shoot at individuals as opportunity offers from a concealed or distant position.

   The enemy was sniping from the roofs.

3. to attack a person or a person's work with petulant or snide criticism, especially anonymously or from a safe distance.

snipe British  

/ snaɪp /

noun

1. any of various birds of the genus Gallinago (or Capella ) and related genera, such as G. gallinago ( common or Wilson's snipe ), of marshes and river banks, having a long straight bill: family Scolopacidae (sandpipers, etc), order Charadriiformes

2. any of various similar related birds, such as certain sandpipers and curlews

3. a shot, esp a gunshot, fired from a place of concealment

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verb

1. to attack (a person or persons) with a rifle from a place of concealment

2. to criticize adversely a person or persons from a position of security

3. (intr) to hunt or shoot snipe

Other Word Forms

• countersniper noun
• snipelike adjective
• sniper noun

Etymology

Origin of snipe

First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English snype (noun), from Old Norse -snīpa (in mȳrisnīpa “moor snipe”); cognate with Norwegian snipa, Icelandic snīpa; compare Danish sneppe, German Schnepfe

Explanation

A long-beaked bird that lives in marshes and swamps is called a snipe. As a verb, to snipe is to attack someone in a snide way — something a snipe would never do, because birds aren't that petty. You can find the well-camouflaged shorebird known as the snipe just about everywhere in the world. These birds are famously difficult for hunters to shoot, as they blend in well with their surroundings and have an erratic flight pattern. This is where the word sniper, or sharpshooter, comes from, in addition to the definition of snipe that means "shoot from a hiding place." The figurative sense of "attack someone verbally" followed.

Example Sentences

Despite the stress of delivering the “Arirang” on time, the men never bicker or snipe at each other.

From Salon • Mar. 27, 2026

Vance’s snipe at “cat ladies” wasn’t Swift’s introduction to right-wing weirdness.

From Slate • Aug. 6, 2025

Some of his supporters even snipe at rival Mr Katumbi.

From BBC • Dec. 15, 2023

Birds that will be renamed include those currently called Wilson’s warbler and Wilson’s snipe, both named after the 19th century naturalist Alexander Wilson.

From Seattle Times • Nov. 1, 2023

"How easy it is to snipe after the fact, to apply the knowledge we have now to the events of 1993," he wrote.

From "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson

Related Words

• hoot
• quip
• ridicule
• scoff
• sneer
• taunt