snitch
1 Americanverb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
noun
verb
-
(tr) to steal; take, esp in an underhand way
-
(intr) to act as an informer
noun
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an informer; telltale
-
the nose
Usage
What does snitch mean? Snitch is an insulting name for a person who informs the police or other authorities when others break the law or the rules. Snitch can refer to an informant who reports a crime or a tattletale who tells on someone, especially to their parents or to a teacher. It can also be used as a verb meaning to inform on or tattle on someone. All uses of this sense of the word are intended to be negative and very insulting. Less commonly, snitch can be used as a verb meaning to steal, or as a noun meaning the nose. In the Harry Potter series of books and movies, the golden snitch is the small flying object in the game of quidditch that gets chased after by players called seekers (including Harry Potter himself). Capturing the snitch wins the game for one’s team. Example: We call you a snitch because you snitched on us for snitching the snitch from McGonagall’s office! Next time keep your mouth shut!
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of snitch1
First recorded in 1900–05; perhaps variant of snatch
Origin of snitch2
First recorded in 1775–85; origin uncertain
Explanation
To snitch is to tattle on someone, and a snitch is someone who tattles. If you snitch on your brother when he "borrows" five dollars without asking, he might call you a snitch — but, on the bright side, he'll probably have to pay you back. The oldest meaning of the informal snitch is "to betray" or, as a noun, "informer." This probably stems from 18th-century underworld slang, in which snitch meant "nose" — perhaps because a snitch is really nosy. A newer definition of snitch, "to steal," is thought to be a variation on snatch, and it first appeared around the turn of the 20th century. In the Harry Potter books, a snitch is a winged, golden ball used in the game of Quidditch.
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:
Think twice before becoming the snitch that stole Christmas.
From MarketWatch ● Dec. 24, 2025
There is something about a healthy personality that feels repelled by a snoop or a snitch.
From Salon ● Sep. 28, 2025
Those developments convinced Sanders that his work on the snitch scandal was finally, truly over — and it was time to begin putting L.A.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 3, 2025
I had a front-row seat to the unfolding snitch scandal through the cartoons I commissioned and the stories I edited for OC Weekly.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 3, 2025
“Yeah, but I’m not a—you don’t want me to be a snitch, do you?”
From "Al Capone Does My Shirts" by Gennifer Choldenko
People who come forward are called narcs, tattletales and snitches.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 26, 2026
To add to the Stasi effect, the tip line offers snitches anonymity.
From Salon ● Apr. 15, 2025
The emails appear designed to pit federal workers against one other, granting carrots to the snitches and wielding sticks over the silent.
From Slate ● Jan. 23, 2025
Artists who came up under him, like Mr. Lee and Gunna, born Sergio Kitchens, now face accusations of being snitches — a potentially fatal label for rappers who trade in toughness and loyalty.
From New York Times ● Jan. 13, 2023
“We don’t need help from anyone. Nobody helps nobody no more. And we certainly don’t need help from you. Probably working for the schools. Little snitches, looks like.”
From "The Marrow Thieves" by Cherie Dimaline
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.
