snipe

[ snahyp ]

/ snaɪp /

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See synonyms for: snipe / sniped / sniping / sniper on Thesaurus.com

noun, plural snipes, (especially collectively) snipe for 1, 2.

any of several long-billed game birds of the genera Gallinago (sometimes Capella) 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.

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

a shot, usually from a hidden position.

verb (used without object), sniped, snip·ing.

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.

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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

OTHER WORDS FROM snipe

snipelike, adjectivesniper, nouncoun·ter·snip·er, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

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|DAILY BEAST
Husbands and wives warred, ex-spouses sniped, children grew into adults, and partners fell out.
‘Mad Men’ Finale and Video of Best Season 5 Moments|Jace Lacob|June 11, 2012|DAILY BEAST
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 Roosevelt
During the run back we were sniped at occasionally by Turks who were still hiding in the hills.
War in the Garden of Eden|Kermit Roosevelt

A 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 MacDonagh
This 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

snipe

/ (snaɪp) /

noun plural snipe or snipes

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

verb

(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

Derived forms of snipe

snipelike, adjective

Word Origin for snipe

C14: from Old Norse snīpa; related to Old High German snepfa Middle Dutch snippe

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

snipe

Origin of snipe

OTHER WORDS FROM snipe

Words related to snipe

How to use snipe in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for snipe

Derived forms of snipe

Word Origin for snipe