snare

verb

snared; snaring

transitive verb

1

a

: to capture by or as if by use of a snare

b

: to win or attain by artful or skillful maneuvers

2

: to entangle or hold as if in a snare

… any object that snared his eye …

—Current Biography

snarer noun

Synonyms of snare

• trap
• tangle

Choose the Right Synonym for snare

catch, capture, trap, snare, entrap, ensnare, bag mean to come to possess or control by or as if by seizing.

catch implies the seizing of something in motion or in flight or in hiding.

caught the dog as it ran by

capture suggests taking by overcoming resistance or difficulty.

capture an enemy stronghold

trap, snare, entrap, ensnare imply seizing by some device that holds the one caught at the mercy of the captor.

trap and snare apply more commonly to physical seizing.

trap animals

snared butterflies with a net

entrap and ensnare more often are figurative.

entrapped the witness with a trick question

a sting operation that ensnared burglars

bag implies shooting down a fleeing or distant prey.

bagged a brace of pheasants

Examples of snare in a Sentence

They caught fish and snared seabirds.

Unfortunately, the nets also snare turtles.

They snared first place in the contest.

trying to snare business from competitors

The shortstop snared a high throw from the outfield.

Recent Examples on the Web

Later in that first period, Brock Nelson snuck behind the Vegas defense all alone, but Hart snared his wrister with a flick of his glove hand. —Jesse Granger, New York Times, 27 May 2026

First baseman Michael Busch finished the play by reaching out and snaring Hoerner’s dazzling throw to complete the highlight and nab the speedy Salazar for the out. —Ryan Canfield, FOXNews.com, 23 May 2026

Retirees and near-retirees are the taxpayers snared most often by the Stealth Taxes. —Bob Carlson, Forbes.com, 20 May 2026

Telemundo snared those rights away from Univision in 2023. —Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 7 May 2026

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing snare

• snare drum

Rhymes for snare

• air
• ayre
• bahr
• bare
• blare
• care
• chair
• claire
• ere
• err
• eyre
• fair

Kids Definition

snare

1 of 2 noun

ˈsna(ə)r 

ˈsne(ə)r

1

a

: a trap often consisting of a noose for catching small animals or birds

b

: something by which one is entangled, trapped, or deceived

2

: one of the catgut strings or metal spirals stretched across the bottom of a snare drum

snare

2 of 2 verb

snared; snaring

1

: to capture or entangle by or as if by use of a snare

2

: to win by skillful or deceptive measures

snarer noun

Medical Definition

snare

noun

ˈsna(ə)r, ˈsne(ə)r 

: a surgical instrument consisting usually of a wire loop constricted by a mechanism in the handle and used for removing tissue masses (as tonsils or polyps)