as in to bark
to speak sharply or irritably
she snarled at me after I kept badgering her with questions
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in to knot
to twist together into a usually confused mass
you'll be awfully sorry if you snarl your fishing line
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in jam
a crowded mass (as of cars) that impedes or blocks movement
to no avail, the city promotes carpooling to help ease the traffic snarls that always accompany rush hour
Synonyms & Similar Words
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 snarl
Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 8 May 2025
Offices closed and traffic was snarled in Madrid and Lisbon, while some civilians in Barcelona directed traffic.
—Renata Brito and Barry Hatton, Los Angeles Times, 28 Apr. 2025
Bloomberg, Mercury News, 14 Apr. 2025
That’s due to factors such as weather, war, disease, supply chain snarls, spikes in demand or other temporary shocks.
—Alicia Wallace, CNN, 12 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for snarl
Verb
In another episode, Carême participates in a national cooking competition, judged by a snarling food critic who has a pet monkey for some reason.
—Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 8 May 2025
Offices closed and traffic was snarled in Madrid and Lisbon, while some civilians in Barcelona directed traffic.
—Renata Brito and Barry Hatton, Los Angeles Times, 28 Apr. 2025
Noun
Donald Trump’s 125% tariffs on goods produced in China threatened to upend its supply chain as seriously as the Covid snarls did five years ago.
—Bloomberg, Mercury News, 14 Apr. 2025
That’s due to factors such as weather, war, disease, supply chain snarls, spikes in demand or other temporary shocks.
—Alicia Wallace, CNN, 12 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for snarl
Recent Examples of Synonyms for snarl
jam
Noun
-
But Kyle Tucker’s run-scoring single in the fifth put the Cubs ahead again, and Taillon got out of a jam in the sixth, aided by Nico Hoerner nailing a runner at the plate on a fielder’s choice grounder.—
Paul Sullivan,
Chicago Tribune,
26 May 2025
-
The next blues jam at The Bakery District is set for 1-6 p.m. June 15.—
Monica Hooper,
Arkansas Online,
25 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Snarl.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/snarl. Accessed 5 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share