as in barking
to speak sharply or irritably
she snarled at me after I kept badgering her with questions
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as in tangling
to twist together into a usually confused mass
you'll be awfully sorry if you snarl your fishing line
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Recent Examples of snarling
Steven Rosenbaum, CBS News, 30 Jan. 2026
The Sepulveda Transit Corridor project would connect the Westside to the San Fernando Valley in less than 20 minutes and ideally eliminate traffic congestion along one of the nation’s busiest corridors by offering an alternative to the snarling 405 Freeway over the Santa Monica Mountains.
—Los Angeles Times, 22 Jan. 2026
All three westbound lanes were closed in the wake of the crash, snarling the afternoon commute.
—Jason Green, Mercury News, 21 Jan. 2026
Millions of Americans heading into a holiday weekend are facing messy travel conditions, with snow, gusty winds and bitter cold snarling flights and roads across the eastern half of the country.
—Mirna Alsharif, NBC news, 17 Jan. 2026
There was a febrile atmosphere in Caracas that winter, with long lines of cars waiting for gas snarling city streets and raising tempers, while the constant prospect of violence hung over the daily demonstrations.
—Jeremy Kahn, Fortune, 11 Jan. 2026
Television cameras caught Adebayo snarling dismissively.
—Jon Krawczynski, New York Times, 7 Jan. 2026
Entire families, with kids and dogs, took their holiday portraits — not with a jocular Santa, but with a snarling Krampus, standing in front of an Alpine forest backdrop.
—Deena Prichep, NPR, 8 Dec. 2025
Tuesday's potent storm generated as much as 12 inches of snow across parts of the Northeast, closing hundreds of schools and snarling traffic.
—Anna Skinner, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 Dec. 2025
Verb
The same stretch of highway was closed two weeks ago, snarling traffic around the city all weekend.
—Steven Rosenbaum, CBS News, 30 Jan. 2026
The Sepulveda Transit Corridor project would connect the Westside to the San Fernando Valley in less than 20 minutes and ideally eliminate traffic congestion along one of the nation’s busiest corridors by offering an alternative to the snarling 405 Freeway over the Santa Monica Mountains.
—Los Angeles Times, 22 Jan. 2026
All three westbound lanes were closed in the wake of the crash, snarling the afternoon commute.
—Jason Green, Mercury News, 21 Jan. 2026
Millions of Americans heading into a holiday weekend are facing messy travel conditions, with snow, gusty winds and bitter cold snarling flights and roads across the eastern half of the country.
—Mirna Alsharif, NBC news, 17 Jan. 2026
There was a febrile atmosphere in Caracas that winter, with long lines of cars waiting for gas snarling city streets and raising tempers, while the constant prospect of violence hung over the daily demonstrations.
—Jeremy Kahn, Fortune, 11 Jan. 2026
Television cameras caught Adebayo snarling dismissively.
—Jon Krawczynski, New York Times, 7 Jan. 2026
Entire families, with kids and dogs, took their holiday portraits — not with a jocular Santa, but with a snarling Krampus, standing in front of an Alpine forest backdrop.
—Deena Prichep, NPR, 8 Dec. 2025
Tuesday's potent storm generated as much as 12 inches of snow across parts of the Northeast, closing hundreds of schools and snarling traffic.
—Anna Skinner, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Snarling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/snarling. Accessed 3 Feb. 2026.
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