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snares 1 of 2

noun

plural of snare
1
as in traps
a device or scheme for capturing another by surprise you fell for my clever snare, you fool!

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2
as in tangles
something that catches and holds someday you'll find that your lies are a snare from which you can't escape

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snares

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of snare
1
as in nets
to catch or hold as if in a net easily distracted by any bright object that snared his eye

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in grabs
to take physical control or possession of (something) suddenly or forcibly campers trying to snare brook trout for supper

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 snares
Noun
The team covers 6 to 12 miles a day on foot, tracking poachers and their snares. — Stacey Leasca, Travel + Leisure, 6 Aug. 2026 Recounting her boyfriend calling the police on her during their fraught break-up, the chorus rings out over rowdy snares like a brutal playground taunt. — Will Pritchard, Pitchfork, 20 July 2026 Poaching once devastated the park, but in the past decade, 40,000 wire snares have been removed, and black rhinos, cheetahs, lions and wild dogs have been reintroduced. — The Week Uk, TheWeek, 19 July 2026 Further down the street, a troupe of drummers held court with a mix of snares and bass. — Ben Church, CNN Money, 16 June 2026 His blood sloshed through the device’s tiny channels and pressed against its protein snares. — Elie Dolgin, IEEE Spectrum, 4 June 2026 Conservationists-in-the-making can join hands-on efforts like removing poacher snares, clearing invasive plants, or collecting data on endangered species. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 9 Mar. 2026 The team used non-invasive survey tools, including 285 hair snares and 135 remote cameras, to collect the information from a 150-square-mile area, the institute said. — Kerry Breen, CBS News, 29 Jan. 2026 The team gathered their marten data via 285 hair snares (made from PVC pipe) and 135 cameras. — Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 22 Jan. 2026
Verb
The hallmarks of the Navy Blue sound are present—barely-there snares keeping time in the distance, string samples melting into reflective puddles, overtones from resonant piano lines. — Dash Lewis, Pitchfork, 10 June 2026 Hair snares use tape and wire to collect DNA and other data by collecting a sample of wild animal hair when creatures pass by, according to Popular Science. — Gabrielle Rockson, PEOPLE, 28 Jan. 2026 Maybe Deandre Ayton snares his first signature Lakers moment. — Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 28 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for snares
  1. traps
  2. tangles
  3. grabs
  4. ambushes
  5. entanglements
  6. catches
  7. nets
  8. snatches
Noun
  • Governments in the region launched a massive response, including traps, sniffer dogs, drone surveillance and most importantly, sterile flies.
    — Jen Christensen, CNN Money, 7 Sep. 2026
  • The direct heat helps re-crisp the bottom of the crust, while the lid traps heat, so the cheese and toppings warm through without the crust becoming excessively dry.
    — Daryl Austin, USA Today, 6 Sep. 2026
Definition of traps
Noun
  • Sazan is a rugged place—strewn with rocks and tangles of trees, populated by a large colony of rats, and studded with bunkers built by the Marxist dictator Enver Hoxha to defend against an imaginary invasion.
    — Dexter Filkins, New Yorker, 14 Sep. 2026
  • Alice and her old friend Danny (Scoot McNairy, outstanding, like everyone else), who is still a New York cop, work through professional and personal tangles.
    — Bill Goodykoontz, AZCentral.com, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of tangles
Verb
  • As the striker attempts to get back to his feet, albeit with a handful of the defender’s shirt, Rosario grabs Haaland’s backside.
    — Sam Lee, New York Times, 10 Sep. 2026
  • Innanen came up with the idea that, as Anton gets up to leave while Paul Baker and Issa make out, Paul Baker grabs his leg to keep him on the bed.
    — Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of grabs
Noun
  • Social Media Capture The underlying tactic is not new, with both Russian and Ukrainian forces having previously used armed FPV drones to conduct roadside ambushes.
    — Vikram Mittal, Forbes.com, 22 Aug. 2026
  • Stassi is no stranger to an ambush; one of her most iconic Vanderpump Rules scenes remains one of the best ambushes reality TV’s ever seen.
    — Caroline Framke, Vulture, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of ambushes
Noun
  • Cassidy Teufel, deputy director at the coastal commission, said during a review of the project that seaweed farms use taut, rigid lines, not the loose fishing lines that are a leading cause of whale entanglements.
    — Amy Taxin, Los Angeles Times, 10 Sep. 2026
  • The film concerns a bus full of French high-school seniors on a trip to Pompeii, where the long gaze of history meets their hormonal entanglements and a bunch of Freudian desire.
    — Joe Reid, Vulture, 10 Sep. 2026
Definition of entanglements
Verb
  • The side tables offer prep space, and the extra-large drip pan catches any residual grease.
    — Rachel Trujillo, PEOPLE, 5 Sep. 2026
  • Here's how the scam works and how to protect yourself before a fake MyChart alert catches you off guard.
    — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of catches
Noun
  • Passive nets retain practical advantage Passive fog nets have operated in the same desert for years without using electricity.
    — Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 4 Sep. 2026
  • Like ballplayers just before the pitch, animal control crouched into position, with thick metal grabbers, nooses, and nets at the ready.
    — Zachary Przystup, Christian Science Monitor, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of nets
Verb
  • In the midst of handing the job over to his son, even as Diego is making a speech about water supplies, hygiene and education, Don Alejandro snatches it back to cheers, clutches his heart and dies.
    — Television Critic, Los Angeles Times, 30 June 2026
  • These picks start at $11 and range from a one-piece swimsuit that snatches your waist to an everyday pair of wide-leg jeans and this summer-friendly tank top.
    — Mia Huelsbeck, PEOPLE, 25 June 2026
Definition of snatches

Browse Nearby Words

snared
snares
snarf (down)
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Snares.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/snares. Accessed 18 Sep. 2026.

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