as in to grab
to take physical control or possession of (something) suddenly or forcibly
I snapped up the last remaining cupcake before anyone else could get their mitts on it
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for snap (up)
Verb
-
Grant asks Chris about the boxing gloves now for sale in the night store, but Katie forestalls him by running over and grabbing them, nearly flattening Chris.—
Tasha Robinson,
Vulture,
16 June 2026 -
Demonstrators grabbed bricks from the ground to throw at police, as tear gas was deployed in Geneva's streets, witnesses told Reuters.—
Landon Mion,
FOXNews.com,
15 June 2026
Verb
-
Running back Jonathon Brooks, who is returning from back-to-back ACL surgeries on his right knee, caught a pass across the middle from Young and blazed down the field through traffic.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
11 June 2026
-
All day, the spokespeople for the city and the arena sniped at each other in statements about the security around MSG and the fate of a watch party caught in the snares.—
Hannah Keyser,
CNN Money,
11 June 2026
Verb
-
As part of our Language of Soccer World Cup series, The Athletic is speaking to supporters of all 48 nations competing at the 2026 edition to capture their unique football culture, distilled into a single phrase.—
Carl Anka,
New York Times,
10 June 2026
-
The places featured here, selected by local editors, highlight just some of the landmarks and destinations that capture the region’s significance as the nation marks 250 years.—
USA TODAY Network,
USA Today,
10 June 2026
Verb
-
Armed men snatched a highly respected security expert earlier this week in one of the few places in the capital city of Haiti to be considered relatively safe.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
13 June 2026
-
Donate your knick-knacks to the thrift store for the true collectors to snatch up.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
12 June 2026
Verb
-
For Portugal’s Vitinha, 26, Brazil’s Vinicius Junior and Norway’s Haaland, both 25, and France’s Michael Olise, 24, there might be no better opportunity to seize.—
Oliver Kay,
New York Times,
11 June 2026
-
The Spurs made 14 3-pointers, a Finals record for one half, to seize control of this game in a stunning display of shot-making and poise.—
Andrew Greif,
NBC news,
11 June 2026
Verb
-
There's about to be a lot of focus on soccer for the next month, what with the World Cup getting underway, but MLB is scoring itself some heat by bringing some serious heat.—
Matt Reigle OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
13 June 2026
-
Good old Michelob beer sold in red, white, and blue cans poured from the concessions; helicopters choppered overhead for a flyover and movie stars got face time.—
Dana O’Neil,
CNN Money,
13 June 2026
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Cite this Entry
“Snap (up).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/snap%20%28up%29. Accessed 16 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
