snipe

1 of 2

noun

plural snipes
1
or plural snipe : any of various usually slender-billed birds of the sandpiper family
especially : any of several game birds (especially genus Gallinago) especially of marshy areas
2
: a contemptible person

snipe

2 of 2

verb

sniped; sniping

intransitive verb

1
: to shoot at exposed individuals (as of an enemy's forces) from a usually concealed point of vantage
2
: to aim a carping or snide attack
sniper noun

Examples of snipe in a Sentence

Verb Enemy fighters sniped at them from vacant buildings. One of the senators sniped, “What does he think this is, a monarchy?”.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Miles Wood collected it, then snapped a pass to O’Connor for a snipe from the left circle at 14:55 of the period. Corey Masisak, The Denver Post, 27 Jan. 2024 Boldly scored a power-play goal on a snipe from the slot with 3:53 left in regulation. John Shipley, Twin Cities, 26 Jan. 2024 Only a little bigger than a robin, these bird’s are related to other shorebirds like the Wilson’s snipe. Matthew Every, Field & Stream, 18 Oct. 2023 Gang members kidnap civilians for ransom, snipe indiscriminately at them from rooftops, and rape women and children. Widlore Mérancourt, Washington Post, 2 Oct. 2023 Tyler Seguin’s third-period snipe came when Game 4 was already decided. Dallas News, 12 May 2022 Anna Moneymaker/Getty In December, Boebert and Greene exchanged snipes over the speaker fight. Shannon Larson, BostonGlobe.com, 28 June 2023 When Clifton failed on a clearing attempt, Ullmark couldn’t stop Eetu Luostarinen’s go-ahead snipe that made it 6-5 at 14:22. Matt Porter, BostonGlobe.com, 28 Apr. 2023 Directors Dan Kwan and Daniel Scheinert (aka Daniels), re-teaming from their comparably gonzo mix of pain and poignancy with Swiss Army Man (2016), center this restless hurricane of a film on the shoulders of a never-better Michelle Yeoh, who fluctuates mightily from droll snipe to agonized parent. Nicholas Bell, SPIN, 14 Dec. 2022
Verb
But there was also friction from the start, with Trump frequently sniping at the senator. Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 29 Feb. 2024 Haley and DeSantis are still sniping at each other. ABC News, 21 Jan. 2024 Finally, the DeSantis super PAC simply blew through too much money for too little return and ended up sniping at the candidate down the stretch. Dan McLaughlin, National Review, 18 Jan. 2024 And again, Russell was the hub, celebrating teammates’ buckets — literally skipping into halftime after a Jarred Vanderbilt layup — while joyfully sniping from behind the three-point-line in a 141-132 win over the Chicago Bulls. Dan Woike, Los Angeles Times, 26 Jan. 2024 Florida’s two leading conservatives, Matt Gaetz and newcomer Byron Donalds, are sniping in the halls and across social media, as Gaetz criticizes the deal Donalds and others struck as insufficiently conservative. Lisa Mascaro and Stephen Groves, Chicago Tribune, 19 Sep. 2023 The top four candidates vying for California’s open Senate seat squared off Tuesday night for the final debate before the March 5 primary, sniping over their track records in Congress and their political integrity. Benjamin Oreskes, Los Angeles Times, 21 Feb. 2024 The Suns seemed more interested in sniping at the referees rather than playing defense. David Brandt, USA TODAY, 4 Jan. 2024 Though things got interesting when Golden Knights captain Mark Stone sniped a shot to make it 4-3, the Wild did enough down the stretch with Eriksson Ek tacking on an empty netter to finalize the score at 5-3. Dane Mizutani, Twin Cities, 13 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'snipe.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, probably of Scandinavian origin; akin to Old Norse snīpa snipe; akin to Old High German snepfa snipe

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1832, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of snipe was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near snipe

Cite this Entry

“Snipe.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/snipe. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

snipe

1 of 2 noun
plural snipes or snipe
: any of several birds that have a long slender bill, live mostly in marshy areas, and are related to the sandpipers

snipe

2 of 2 verb
sniped; sniping
1
: to shoot at exposed individuals of an enemy's forces from a usually concealed point
2
: to attack with unfair or cutting remarks
sniper noun

More from Merriam-Webster on snipe

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