snip

verb

snipped; snipping

transitive verb

: to cut or cut off with or as if with shears or scissors

snipped the stray threads

specifically : to clip suddenly or by bits

intransitive verb

: to make a short quick cut with or as if with shears or scissors

snipper noun

Synonyms of snip

• shave
• cut
• clip
• trim

Examples of snip in a Sentence

He snipped some fresh herbs from plants on the windowsill.

snipping pictures out of magazines

She snipped at the hanging strings.

Recent Examples on the Web

Visitors are welcome any time the farm stand is open — typically Thursday through Saturdays — to purchase a $20 jar and borrow a pair of clippers to snip their own unique bouquet. —Tiney Ricciardi, Denver Post, 3 June 2026

This beginner-friendly Tweezerman rescue kit, with tools like the Mini Cuticle Nipper to snip hangnails, helps extend my nail art's lifeline, which is especially important when breakage looms while traveling. —Jackie Fields, PEOPLE, 1 June 2026

Collins’s new chop is the ultimate example of a bob snipped with ease in mind. —Calin Van Paris, InStyle, 27 May 2026

If any periphery parts are snipped out in releases outside of China, these somewhat more contentious health alerts are likely to be among them. —Andrew Williams, Forbes.com, 27 May 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1586, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Rhymes for snip

• blip
• chip
• clip
• dip
• drip
• flip
• grip
• grippe
• hip
• ip
• kip
• lip

Kids Definition

snip

1 of 2 noun

ˈsnip 

1

: a small piece that is snipped off : fragment

2

: an act or sound of snipping

3

: a rude person

snip

2 of 2 verb

snipped; snipping

: to cut or cut off with or as if with shears or scissors

especially : to clip suddenly or by bits