snub

American  

[snuhb] / snʌb /

verb (used with object)

snubs, present (3rd person singular) snubbed, past participle, past snubbing present participle

1. to treat with disdain or contempt, especially by ignoring.

   Synonyms:

   slight

2. to check or reject with a sharp rebuke or remark.

   Synonyms:

   reprimand, reprove, stop

3. to check or stop suddenly (a rope or cable that is running out).

4. to check (a boat, an unbroken horse, etc.) by means of a rope or line made fast to a fixed object.

5. to pull up or stop abruptly in such a manner.

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noun

snubs plural

1. an act or instance of snubbing.

2. an affront, slight, or rebuff.

3. a sudden check given to a rope or cable running out, a moving boat, or the like.

adjective

1. (of the nose) short and turned up at the tip.

2. blunt.

snub British  

/ snʌb /

verb

1. to insult (someone) deliberately

2. to stop or check the motion of (a boat, horse, etc) by taking turns of a rope or cable around a post or other fixed object

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noun

1. a deliberately insulting act or remark

2. nautical

   1. an elastic shock absorber attached to a mooring line

   2. ( as modifier )

      a snub rope

adjective

1. short and blunt See also snub-nosed

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• snubber
  noun
• snubby
  adjective
• snubbingly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• snubs
  plural

Participles

• snubbing
  present
• snubbed
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• snub
  simple
• snubs
  simple
• have snubbed
  perfect
• has snubbed
  perfect
• am snubbing
  progressive
• are snubbing
  progressive
• is snubbing
  progressive
• have been snubbing
  perfect progressive
• has been snubbing
  perfect progressive

Past

• snubbed
  simple
• had snubbed
  perfect
• was snubbing
  progressive
• were snubbing
  progressive
• had been snubbing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will snub
  simple
• will have snubbed
  perfect
• will be snubbing
  progressive
• will have been snubbing
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of snub

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English snubben, from Old Norse snubba “to scold, reprimand”; cognate with Middle Low German snūben

Explanation

To snub is to ignore or refuse to acknowledge someone. If you want to snub your former best friend, you can refuse to even look at her when you pass in the hallway. When you snub someone, you deliver an insult by pretending to not even notice someone that you know. There’s an element of disdain and rejection to a snub, as if you’re too good to even acknowledge the person. As a noun, a snub is that act of cold rejection. Your former friend probably noticed the snub, and she’ll probably snub you from now on. Snub also means "very short," like the nose on a bulldog.

Example Sentences

Some have interpreted that as a snub to the forum, while others see it as China avoiding publicly pitting itself against the US, as the two rival powers jostle for influence in the region.

From BBC • May 30, 2026

And First Lady Melania Trump decided to stay at home, an unusual snub of such a high-level event.

From Los Angeles Times • May 14, 2026

The snub was hard to miss: Brazil’s president had received the full red-carpeted staircase treatment at the same airport a day earlier.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 27, 2026

But greater awareness does seem possible, notwithstanding the academy’s snub this year.

From Slate • Mar. 13, 2026

Since this part of our property adjoined the palacio of the dictator's daughter and son-in-law, my grandfather had been reluctant to erect a high wall lest it be considered a snub.

From "How the García Girls Lost Their Accents" by Julia Alvarez

Related Words

• boycott
• disregard
• humiliate
• ignore
• neglect
• ostracize
• pass up
• rebuff
• scold
• scorn
• shun