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
Sarah Blaskey, Miami Herald, 16 Dec. 2025
The bill hit a massive, but expected, snag in the Senate.
—Barnini Chakraborty, The Washington Examiner, 12 Dec. 2025
Josh Brown,sean Russo, CNBC, 15 Dec. 2025
Many also lamented the likes of Saldaña and Wicked‘s Grande snagging a slot from true supporting standouts like Dìdi’s Joan Chen, who had less screen time in their films than those actors.
—David Canfield, HollywoodReporter, 14 Dec. 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 Miami, Kapoor’s URBIN brand was trying to smooth over serious snags with city regulators while also hitting cost overruns.
—Sarah Blaskey, Miami Herald, 16 Dec. 2025
The bill hit a massive, but expected, snag in the Senate.
—Barnini Chakraborty, The Washington Examiner, 12 Dec. 2025
Verb
But what the media didn’t know was that, while JPMorgan was putting up its flag in all the former First Republic branches, Citizens Financial Group (CFG) had managed to snag dozens of the most crucial employees amid the wreckage.
—Josh Brown,sean Russo, CNBC, 15 Dec. 2025
Many also lamented the likes of Saldaña and Wicked‘s Grande snagging a slot from true supporting standouts like Dìdi’s Joan Chen, who had less screen time in their films than those actors.
—David Canfield, HollywoodReporter, 14 Dec. 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 18 Dec. 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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