snipe
Also British, snite [snahyt] /snaɪt/ . any of several long-billed game birds of the genera Gallinago (sometimes Capella) and Limnocryptes, inhabiting marshy areas, as G. gallinago(com·mon snipe, orwhole snipe ), of Eurasia and North America, having barred and striped white, brown, and black plumage.
any of several other long-billed birds, as some sandpipers.
a shot, usually from a hidden position.
to shoot or hunt snipe.
to shoot at individuals as opportunity offers from a concealed or distant position: The enemy was sniping from the roofs.
to attack a person or a person's work with petulant or snide criticism, especially anonymously or from a safe distance.
Origin of snipe
1Other words from snipe
- snipe·like, adjective
- snip·er, noun
- coun·ter·snip·er, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use snipe in a sentence
Away from the battlefield, the two groups have sniped at one another online.
Even a Top Democrat Thinks Obama's Legal Case for War Makes No Sense | Eli Lake | September 19, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTHusbands and wives warred, ex-spouses sniped, children grew into adults, and partners fell out.
We met with little opposition, save from occasional bands of stragglers who concealed themselves behind rocks and sniped at us.
War in the Garden of Eden | Kermit RooseveltDuring the run back we were sniped at occasionally by Turks who were still hiding in the hills.
War in the Garden of Eden | Kermit RooseveltA number of Boers were in the vicinity of the first camp, Witbank, and the camp was sniped during the night.
The Record of a Regiment of the Line | M. Jacson
When I reached within fifteen paces I was sniped by a Hunnish swine, the bullet entering my back, penetrating my intestines.
The Irish on the Somme | Michael MacDonaghThis he would take with remarkable skill and alacrity, because at this corner he was always sniped.
Adventures of a Despatch Rider | W. H. L. Watson
British Dictionary definitions for snipe
/ (snaɪp) /
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
any of various similar related birds, such as certain sandpipers and curlews
a shot, esp a gunshot, fired from a place of concealment
(when intr, often foll by at) to attack (a person or persons) with a rifle from a place of concealment
(intr often foll by at) to criticize adversely a person or persons from a position of security
(intr) to hunt or shoot snipe
Origin of snipe
1Derived forms of snipe
- snipelike, adjective
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
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