snapshot

American  

[snap-shot] / ˈsnæpˌʃɒt /

noun

snapshots plural

1. an informal photograph, especially one taken quickly by a handheld camera.

2. Hunting. a quick shot taken without deliberate aim.

3. Informal. a brief appraisal, summary, or profile.

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verb (used with or without object)

snapshot, snapshotted, snapshotting

1. to photograph informally and quickly.

snapshot British  

/ ˈsnæpˌʃɒt /

noun

1. Often shortened to: snap.  an informal photograph taken with a simple camera

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• snapshots
  plural

Etymology

Origin of snapshot

1800–10 snapshot for def. 2; 1860–65 snapshot for def. 1; snap (in the sense “done suddenly or casually”) + shot ¹

Explanation

A snapshot is a quick photograph taken for fun. Be sure to take lots of snapshots while you're on vacation! Using the word snapshot makes it clear you're not talking about professional photographs or artistic shots you've put some thought into. A snapshot just captures a brief moment in time. You can also use this word to mean "impression or summary." A person's obituary, even if deeply moving, can never be more than a snapshot of their varied, complex life. The original 17th0century meaning of snapshot was "quick shot with a gun at a fast-moving target."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

snapshot snapshots snapshotted snapshotting

A BBC snapshot of petrol prices in Hull on Tuesday found a difference of more than 11p a litre between forecourts less than three miles apart.

From BBC ● Jul. 10, 2026

And so it’s a neighborhood at war with itself, with some viewing Skid Row as one of the largest recovery centers in the country while others see a snapshot of social collapse.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2026

All 50 states, five US territories such as Puerto Rico, plus an array of sporting and cultural organizations have made contributions to this collective national snapshot.

From Barron's ● Jul. 2, 2026

Both his seismic and economic disaster scenarios failed to pan out, thank goodness, but it was a snapshot of that era’s economic angst.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 1, 2026

For the Americas, in particular, the 1492 snapshot captures the end of the independent trajectory of Native Americans.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond

The SSA currently does not provide the same detailed, real-time metrics as it did in the past, providing only snapshots of its performance instead of running updated tabulations of caseloads, timings and backlogs, analysts said.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 14, 2026

Users said ADI Predictstreet mismanaged the contest, unexpectedly shifting the dates of snapshots and altering the rules, then failing to deliver tickets.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 12, 2026

They’re snapshots of what you did, why it mattered and how your beliefs influenced your actions.

From MarketWatch ● May 19, 2026

“By not just showing snapshots of the place, but … making a composition out of it, they could see that all these things form together into an experience of one place,” Siegel said.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 8, 2026

In these two cases telescopic snapshots had been included, fuzzy 3-D color prints which he could barely make out.

From "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" by Philip K. Dick

The student survey indicating widespread opposition to the policy—released in February shortly after the grade proposal was publicized—was taken at an “unrepresentative moment” because it snapshotted students’ initial shock, she said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 3, 2026

Users can choose which apps are used by the feature, and private mode on some browsers will not be snapshotted.

From BBC ● Apr. 11, 2025

“I know sometimes things can be snapshotted in a certain way in a particular cultural moment,” said Hernandez.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 11, 2024

Josh Kaplan explains this weird new surveillance technology that most people are still unaware of—especially those whose cars are being snapshotted.

From Slate ● Jul. 10, 2019

We raced our car along the beach, got out and snapshotted one another, admired the views, and cut up generally like a gang of boys let loose from school.

From On the Fringe of the Great Fight by Nasmith, George G. (George Gallie)

The Chief of Police has just been here and left instructions that snapshotting is an invasion of private rights.

From The Tempering by Buck, Charles Neville

Related Words

• photo