snap to attention
idiom
: to move quickly to a position of standing silently with the body stiff and straight, the feet together, and both arms at the sides
The soldier snapped to attention.
—sometimes used figurativelyThe children snapped to attention and got quiet when the teacher clapped his hands.
Examples of snap to attention in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Because of this narrative, my body would only snap to attention in relationships when there was a lot of toxic behaviour and arguing — everything else presented to me as boring or even unattractive.
—
Moraya Seeger Degeare, Lmft, refinery29.com, 25 May 2023
Because of this narrative, my body would only snap to attention in relationships when there was a lot of toxic behaviour and arguing — everything else presented to me as boring or even unattractive.
—Moraya Seeger Degeare, Lmft, refinery29.com, 25 May 2023
But the payoff is worth it, for us and presumably for Cassie, who waits until just the right moment — after the nice guy has plied her with more booze and slipped off her panties — to snap to attention, fully conscious and fully sober.
—Los Angeles Times, 25 Jan. 2023
Chef Julian rules with an iron spatula, exercising military-grade rigor among his wholly devoted and perhaps slightly brainwashed squadron of cooks, who snap to attention on command.
—Kyle Smith, WSJ, 17 Nov. 2022
Surely, if climate disasters get worse and more frequent, countries will snap to attention.
—Zachary B. Wolf, CNN, 10 Jan. 2022
If St Germain’s original sometimes feels too gentle, dangerously close to background music, Osunlade’s version ensures listeners snap to attention by bringing percussion to the foreground — a relentless kick-splat pattern — along with a handsome chime on piano that brightens the melody.
—Elias Leight, Rolling Stone, 22 June 2021
Moraya Seeger Degeare, Lmft, refinery29.com, 25 May 2023
Because of this narrative, my body would only snap to attention in relationships when there was a lot of toxic behaviour and arguing — everything else presented to me as boring or even unattractive.
—Moraya Seeger Degeare, Lmft, refinery29.com, 25 May 2023
But the payoff is worth it, for us and presumably for Cassie, who waits until just the right moment — after the nice guy has plied her with more booze and slipped off her panties — to snap to attention, fully conscious and fully sober.
—Los Angeles Times, 25 Jan. 2023
Chef Julian rules with an iron spatula, exercising military-grade rigor among his wholly devoted and perhaps slightly brainwashed squadron of cooks, who snap to attention on command.
—Kyle Smith, WSJ, 17 Nov. 2022
Surely, if climate disasters get worse and more frequent, countries will snap to attention.
—Zachary B. Wolf, CNN, 10 Jan. 2022
If St Germain’s original sometimes feels too gentle, dangerously close to background music, Osunlade’s version ensures listeners snap to attention by bringing percussion to the foreground — a relentless kick-splat pattern — along with a handsome chime on piano that brightens the melody.
—Elias Leight, Rolling Stone, 22 June 2021
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'snap to attention.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near snap to attention
Cite this Entry
“Snap to attention.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/snap%20to%20attention. Accessed 24 Apr. 2024.
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