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snare

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verb

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb snare contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of snare are bag, capture, catch, ensnare, entrap, and trap. While all these words mean "to come to possess or control by or as if by seizing," 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

When is bag a more appropriate choice than snare?

In some situations, the words bag and snare are roughly equivalent. However, bag implies shooting down a fleeing or distant prey.

bagged a brace of pheasants

When is it sensible to use capture instead of snare?

Although the words capture and snare have much in common, capture suggests taking by overcoming resistance or difficulty.

capture an enemy stronghold

When would catch be a good substitute for snare?

The synonyms catch and snare are sometimes interchangeable, but catch implies the seizing of something in motion or in flight or in hiding.

caught the dog as it ran by

How are the words entrap and ensnare related as synonyms of snare?

Both entrap and ensnare more often are figurative.

entrapped the witness with a trick question
a sting operation that ensnared burglars

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of snare
Noun
But those Prince-like snares are rounded out with a full string orchestra of Swedish musicians. Maya Georgi, Rolling Stone, 3 Oct. 2025 Its shattering snare and fingerprint-distinct drum pattern became its own hook, as memorable as any melody or lyric, cutting through the mix and instantly aging a generation of artists. Pitchfork, 30 Sep. 2025
Verb
Viewers in recent weeks may have noticed a heavier focus on snaring newsmakers for interviews early on in a story’s news cycle. Brian Steinberg, Variety, 27 Oct. 2025 Rester made a diving save less than a minute later, and Owen Johnston — Mounds Park Academy’s goaltender — snared a Clark shot about two minutes thereafter to keep the game 1-1. Mike Cook, Twin Cities, 23 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for snare
Recent Examples of Synonyms for snare
Noun
  • Jacob plots to seduce his employers and gain an advantage from their industry connections, but unwittingly walks into a trap.
    Jake Kanter, Deadline, 5 Nov. 2025
  • By moving the economy up the value chain, Beijing hopes to escape the middle-income trap and cement its status as a self-reliant tech superpower.
    Shaoyu Yuan, The Conversation, 5 Nov. 2025
Noun
  • After spraying this before a braid takedown, my hair was visibly softer and easier to mange through tangles.
    Caché McClay, USA Today, 7 Nov. 2025
  • Having the best brush for your dog will keep its coat free of tangles and might even prevent a big bill at the groomer’s.
    BestReviews, Mercury News, 7 Nov. 2025
Verb
  • However, Cena outsmarted him by grabbing the chair, throwing it next to Dom, and pretending to be down on the mat.
    Matthew Couden, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Nov. 2025
  • Security camera footage from a nearby apartment complex showed the naked man walking across the street prior to the incident, seemingly talking to himself and grabbing a sign, per NBC 4.
    Toria Sheffield, PEOPLE, 10 Nov. 2025
Noun
  • What’s happening now Fuel is running short in Bamako as militants belonging to a group called Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam al-Muslimin (JNIM) cut roads to the capital, attack military patrols and ambush tanker trucks.
    Tim Lister, CNN Money, 2 Nov. 2025
  • Stines, 44, was allegedly caught on security video storming into Mullins’ chambers before shooting him in an alleged courthouse ambush that rattled the Appalachian community.
    Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, FOXNews.com, 30 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Its height and solidity gave the sense of a play structure, the crossbar that loomed above the platform a climbing feature for the truly fearless, and the rope noose perfect for swinging and letting fly if only the gallows had been built over water.
    George Packer, The Atlantic, 6 Nov. 2025
  • In the yard, decorations include nooses, hanging bodies, guards in towers and barbed wire fences.
    Colson Thayer, PEOPLE, 27 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • One front-line starter that may catch the Mets' eye this offseason is Pittsburgh Pirates hurler Mitch Keller.
    Shaun McAvoy, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Nov. 2025
  • At least six vehicles and three auto-rickshaws caught fire, Delhi's deputy fire chief said later, adding that the flames had been doused by firefighting teams.
    Shivam Patel, USA Today, 10 Nov. 2025
Noun
  • Recently, the comic’s rising profile has led to high-profile roles in film and television, after featuring in Steven Soderbergh’s sci-fi web series Command Z and writing, producing, and starring in the indie comedy film Let’s Start a Cult.
    Matt Grobar, Deadline, 10 Nov. 2025
  • OpenAI has launched or revealed plans for a social-media app, a web browser, shopping inside ChatGPT, a personal device.
    Matteo Wong, The Atlantic, 10 Nov. 2025
Verb
  • After becoming an Internet sensation (and an art-world provocateur), the toilet moved to England in 2019, where a trio of thieves snatched it from the birthplace of Winston Churchill in a crime straight out of the board game Clue.
    Nicole Hoey, Robb Report, 4 Nov. 2025
  • There are swift, serpentine vines dexterous enough to snatch Dek’s supplies; combustible little slugs that detonate like grenades when triggered; and exotic flowers that swell up and squirt paralyzing darts when something approaches.
    Peter Debruge, Variety, 4 Nov. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Snare.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/snare. Accessed 12 Nov. 2025.

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