snooker
Americannoun
verb (used with object)
noun
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a game played on a billiard table with 15 red balls, six balls of other colours, and a white cue ball. The object is to pot the balls in a certain order
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a shot in which the cue ball is left in a position such that another ball blocks the object ball. The opponent is then usually forced to play the cue ball off a cushion
verb
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to leave (an opponent) in an unfavourable position by playing a snooker
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to place (someone) in a difficult situation
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(often passive) to thwart; defeat
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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snookersimple
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snookerssimple
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have snookeredperfect
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has snookeredperfect
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am snookeringprogressive
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are snookeringprogressive
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is snookeringprogressive
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have been snookeringperfect progressive
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has been snookeringperfect progressive
Past
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snookeredsimple
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had snookeredperfect
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was snookeringprogressive
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were snookeringprogressive
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had been snookeringperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of snooker
First recorded in 1885–90; origin uncertain
Vocabulary lists containing snooker
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:
And into things that I wouldn't expect a Portuguese footballer to be into like horse racing, darts and snooker - typical British and Irish stuff.
From BBC ● Jul. 3, 2026
Barry is the founder and president of Matchroom Sport, one of the leading promoters in boxing, darts and snooker, while his son Eddie is chairman of the organisation.
From Barron's ● May 15, 2026
The country is now churning out high-quality snooker competitors.
From BBC ● May 7, 2026
Zhao's victory 12 months ago was regarded as a seismic moment for Chinese snooker.
From BBC ● May 5, 2026
They settled instead on Hugh van Vliet’s place because it had a snooker table.
From "Atonement" by Ian McEwan
In fact, they needed snookers while playing blind-folded and without a cue ball.
From BBC ● Jun. 27, 2026
A tense finish saw Trump make a 58 but then foul and leave a free ball with Day chasing snookers.
From BBC ● Jan. 11, 2023
With three episodes left, it seems odd that the writers devised a tale in which Saul snookers a mall cop with an oversized pastry.
From New York Times ● Jul. 25, 2022
An opening nine of 40 – McIlroy whacked his tee shot out of bounds at the 9th – meant he required snookers to win.
From The Guardian ● Mar. 8, 2020
We can be heard trying to shush them, and will continue to do so until the other teams need snookers.
From The Guardian ● Mar. 26, 2017
He insisted the banks that James alleges were snookered with lofty valuations suffered no harm, got paid in his deals and “to this day have no complaints.”
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 5, 2023
This flavor of whining, however, is doubly sinister, because it's a member of the DOJ leveraging his status to discredit the jury system, simply because these two juries wouldn't be snookered by him.
From Salon ● May 19, 2023
Really candidly, in this rural community, I’ve been snookered by some people who basically say they’re doing good and they’re not.
From Washington Times ● May 9, 2021
She also beats herself up for having been snookered.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 14, 2018
“Okay, so the authorities are being snookered by these hidden messages. But how could they resist the facts? Show them your Receiver gizmo, Mr. Benedict. They’ll have to believe you.”
From "The Mysterious Benedict Society" by Trenton Lee Stewart
Leading 5-2, Murphy knocked in 15 reds and 15 blacks to reach 120 with only the colours remaining but ended up snookering himself behind the blue and the chance was lost.
From BBC ● Jan. 16, 2025
But the crypto implosion at least has a cleansing benefit: It offers an opportunity to mop up a speculative and overhyped mess that has gotten badly out of control, snookering gullible investors in the process.
From Washington Post ● May 20, 2022
Longer pot shots and a more frequent use of snookering?
From The Guardian ● May 23, 2012
David Hampton posed as the son of Sidney Poitier, snookering high-caste Manhattan.
From New York Times ● Sep. 17, 2011
But, as in any case of cloak-and-dagger, it's sometimes hard to tell exactly who's snookering whom.
From Time Magazine Archive
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.
