1
: a concealed or unexpected difficulty or obstacle
2
a
: an irregularity that suggests the result of tearing
especially
: a pulled thread in fabric
a snag in her stocking
b
: a jagged tear made by or as if by catching on a snag
3
: a rough sharp or jagged projecting part : protuberance: such as
a
: a projecting tooth
also
: a stump of a tooth
b
: one of the secondary branches of an antler
4
a
: a standing dead tree
b
: a tree or branch embedded in a lake or stream bed and constituting a hazard to navigation
snagged; snagging
1
a
: to catch and usually damage on or as if on a snag
b
: to halt or impede as if by catching on a snag
2
: to catch or obtain usually by quick action or good fortune
3
: to hew, trim, or cut roughly or jaggedly
4
: to clear (something, such as a river) of snags
Examples of snag in a Sentence
Noun
I caught my sleeve on a snag and tore it.
My sweater has a snag where I caught it on a nail.
Verb
I snagged my favorite sweater on a nail.
The shortstop snagged the grounder.
The police snagged the suspect as he was trying to run away.
I managed to snag the information I needed from the Internet.
Can I snag a ride from you?
Recent Examples on the Web
Tammy Ljungblad, Kansas City Star, 22 Apr. 2025
More than a decade later, there are still up to 300 snags — dead standing trees — per acre in some of Yosemite’s most intensely affected areas, Stephens said.
—Corinne Purtill, Los Angeles Times, 17 Apr. 2025
Ali Faccenda, People.com, 28 Apr. 2025
The Texans were able to snag him in the third round, and many mocks had the receiver going at the beginning of the second.
—Mark Weinstein, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for snag
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Noun
In September 1856, the three-year-old, 171-foot long Steamboat Arabia, laden with over 200 tons of cargo bound for 16 frontier towns, struck a tree snag and quickly sank to the bottom of the Missouri River, just six miles west of Kansas City.
—Tammy Ljungblad, Kansas City Star, 22 Apr. 2025
More than a decade later, there are still up to 300 snags — dead standing trees — per acre in some of Yosemite’s most intensely affected areas, Stephens said.
—Corinne Purtill, Los Angeles Times, 17 Apr. 2025
Verb
Take this massive sale event as a sign to snag a new accent cabinet like this style from Kelly Clarkson Home, or a convertible sofa that’s a game changer for small spaces.
—Ali Faccenda, People.com, 28 Apr. 2025
The Texans were able to snag him in the third round, and many mocks had the receiver going at the beginning of the second.
—Mark Weinstein, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for snag
Cite this Entry
“Snag.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/snag. Accessed 4 May. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
snag
1 of 2 noun1
a
: a tree or branch when stuck underwater and not visible from the surface
b
: a standing dead tree
2
: an uneven or broken part sticking out from a smooth surface
caught my sweater on a snag
3
: a concealed or unexpected difficulty
our plans hit a snag
snag
2 of 2 verb
snagged; snagging
: to catch on or as if on a snag
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