snip

1 of 2

noun

1
a
: a small piece that is snipped off
also : fragment, bit
b
: a cut or notch made by snipping
c
: an act or sound of snipping
2
: a white or light mark
especially : a white spot between the nostrils of a horse
3
: a presumptuous or impertinent person
especially : an impertinent or saucy girl
4
British : bargain, buy

snip

2 of 2

verb

snipped; snipping

transitive verb

: to cut or cut off with or as if with shears or scissors
snipped the stray threads
specifically : to clip suddenly or by bits

intransitive verb

: to make a short quick cut with or as if with shears or scissors
snipper noun

Examples of snip in a Sentence

Noun cleared out the snips of paper that had been clogging the machine that antique urn that we bought at London's Portobello Road Market was a real snip Verb He snipped some fresh herbs from plants on the windowsill. snipping pictures out of magazines She snipped at the hanging strings.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
They can be cut with tin snips or a tile saw and installed by removing the backing and sticking the tile to the wall. Sarah Halverson, Better Homes & Gardens, 8 Jan. 2024 Next, fill in gaps with snips of blue spruce or juniper branches for color. Karen Hugg, Washington Post, 22 Nov. 2023 At the very least, the snips that lit up Reddit violated the teen’s body autonomy. Melissa Willets, Parents, 15 Nov. 2023 Fresh herbs might take a little extra time to chiffonade, snip, strip, and more, but the end result will be well worth your effort. Andrea Beck, Better Homes & Gardens, 22 Oct. 2023 The editing remained intact but with some snips made by Tornatore to shorten the duration of each episode to approximately 55 minutes. Nick Vivarelli, Variety, 25 Oct. 2023 New York has no shortage of places where clients can spend $200 or more on a snip and a blow dry. Clay Risen, New York Times, 12 Aug. 2023 Failing that, there is the option of getting a motorbike – permits for which are a relative snip at $7,930 (10,856 Singapore dollars). Heather Chen, CNN, 5 Oct. 2023 Once plants are established, snip leaves to add to salads. Deanna Kizis, Sunset Magazine, 14 Aug. 2023
Verb
Here, a sheepskin sweatband is snipped to size and installed with a vintage Singer sewing machine. Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 3 Mar. 2024 All year, farmworkers snip flowers by hand, mostly in Colombia and Ecuador, to be sent on cargo planes to Miami, where they are inspected and then loaded on trucks to reach every mainland state. Patricia Mazzei Scott McIntyre, New York Times, 13 Feb. 2024 The company’s technology snips data on receipts or bank statements to match them with records of expenses, saving auditors long nights of manual labor. Hank Tucker, Forbes, 13 Feb. 2024 But the unique structure of these glucose-galactose chemical bonds necessitates a specialized tool to properly snip these molecular ribbons apart. Max Bennett, Discover Magazine, 29 Jan. 2024 One woman brought her two Yorkshire terriers to have their tails snipped for $30 each. David Goodhue, Miami Herald, 27 Jan. 2024 Spoon 1 cup buttercream into a pastry bag fitted with a star tip (2D), or spoon frosting into a heavy-duty ziplock plastic freezer bag, and snip 1 corner to make a small hole. Pam Lolley, Southern Living, 30 Dec. 2023 Hough then proceeded to snip away at the front of her blonde hair while her stylist praised her efforts from off camera. Erin Clack, Peoplemag, 7 Jan. 2024 For pocket-sized decadence, consider a floral scrunchie that might have been snipped from the wild to grace your low ponytail. Madeline Fass, Vogue, 19 Dec. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'snip.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

from or akin to Dutch & Low German snip; akin to Middle High German snipfen to snap the fingers

First Known Use

Noun

1558, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1586, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of snip was in 1558

Dictionary Entries Near snip

Cite this Entry

“Snip.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/snip. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

snip

1 of 2 noun
1
: a small piece that is snipped off : fragment
2
: an act or sound of snipping
3
: a rude person

snip

2 of 2 verb
snipped; snipping
: to cut or cut off with or as if with shears or scissors
especially : to clip suddenly or by bits

More from Merriam-Webster on snip

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