snip

¹snip

noun \ˈsnip\

Definition of SNIP

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

Examples of SNIP

1. <cleared out the snips of paper that had been clogging the machine>
2. <that antique urn that we bought at London's Portobello Road Market was a real snip>

Origin of SNIP

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

First Known Use: 1558

Related to SNIP

Synonyms

atom, crumb, dribble, fleck, flyspeck, grain, granule, molecule, morsel, mote, nubbin, nugget, particle, patch, scrap, scruple, bit, snippet, speck, tittle

Related Words

ace, dab, dash, driblet, drop, fraction, haet [chiefly Scottish], halfpenny, ha'penny, iota, jot, kenning [chiefly Scottish], lick, minim, mite, modicum, nutshell, ounce, pinch, shred, smatter, smidgen (also smidgeon or smidgin or smidge), spot, strain, streak, suspicion, taste, touch, trace, whisper, whit; bite, mouthful, nibble, tidbit (also titbit); fragment, part, portion, section; chip, flake, shard, shiver, sliver, splinter; clipping, paring, shaving; smithereens

Near Antonyms

chunk, gob, hunk, lump, slab; abundance, barrel, bucket, bushel, deal, heaps, loads, mass, mountain, peck, pile, pot, profusion, quantity, raft, scads, stack, volume, wad, wealth

Rhymes with SNIP

blip, chip, clip, dip, drip, flip, grip, grippe, gyp, hip, kip, lip, nip, pip, quip, rip, scrip, ship, sip, skip, slip, strip, tip, trip, whip, yip, zip

²snip

verb

snippedsnip·ping

Definition of SNIP

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

— snip·per noun

Examples of SNIP

1. He snipped some fresh herbs from plants on the windowsill.
2. snipping pictures out of magazines
3. She snipped at the hanging strings.

First Known Use of SNIP

1586

Related to SNIP

Synonyms

bob, crop, cut, cut back, dock, lop (off), nip, pare, poll, prune, shave, shear, clip, trim

Related Words

skive, whittle; manicure, mow; pinch, stump; curtail, shorten

Near Antonyms

elongate, extend, lengthen