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
Torrey Snow, Baltimore Sun, 11 Mar. 2026
That was followed by Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, which led to a spike in energy prices, snarling supply chains and prompting a risk-off move in emerging markets.
—Tiisetso Motsoeneng, semafor.com, 9 Mar. 2026
Out slink the striped cats, snarling and roaring, leaping at each other or at me.
—Alessandro Meregaglia, The Conversation, 3 Mar. 2026
The disruptions have rippled far beyond the conflict zone, stranding tourists, business travelers, migrant workers and religious pilgrims across multiple continents and snarling global travel that relies heavily on Gulf airports.
—Adam Schreck, Chicago Tribune, 2 Mar. 2026
Kyle firefighters were working to extinguish a grass fire that was snarling traffic Tuesday afternoon in Hays County.
—Alex Driggars, Austin American Statesman, 24 Feb. 2026
The scale of this year’s snowfall temporarily closed Hokkaido’s main airport last week, stranding hundreds of passengers, while snarling other travel, delaying train services and forcing the closure of some highways.
—Reuters, NBC news, 4 Feb. 2026
Charlotte-area communities got 6 to 12 inches of snow over the weekend, closing schools, snarling traffic and shutting down public transit.
—Mary Ramsey, Charlotte Observer, 3 Feb. 2026
The same stretch of highway was closed two weeks ago, snarling traffic around the city all weekend.
—Steven Rosenbaum, CBS News, 30 Jan. 2026
Verb
Activists have long made Maryland a cultural battleground over transit, with pushes for traffic-snarling bike lanes, and doomed infrastructure projects like the Red Line, described by former Governor Larry Hogan as a boondoggle.
—Torrey Snow, Baltimore Sun, 11 Mar. 2026
That was followed by Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, which led to a spike in energy prices, snarling supply chains and prompting a risk-off move in emerging markets.
—Tiisetso Motsoeneng, semafor.com, 9 Mar. 2026
Out slink the striped cats, snarling and roaring, leaping at each other or at me.
—Alessandro Meregaglia, The Conversation, 3 Mar. 2026
The disruptions have rippled far beyond the conflict zone, stranding tourists, business travelers, migrant workers and religious pilgrims across multiple continents and snarling global travel that relies heavily on Gulf airports.
—Adam Schreck, Chicago Tribune, 2 Mar. 2026
Kyle firefighters were working to extinguish a grass fire that was snarling traffic Tuesday afternoon in Hays County.
—Alex Driggars, Austin American Statesman, 24 Feb. 2026
The scale of this year’s snowfall temporarily closed Hokkaido’s main airport last week, stranding hundreds of passengers, while snarling other travel, delaying train services and forcing the closure of some highways.
—Reuters, NBC news, 4 Feb. 2026
Charlotte-area communities got 6 to 12 inches of snow over the weekend, closing schools, snarling traffic and shutting down public transit.
—Mary Ramsey, Charlotte Observer, 3 Feb. 2026
The same stretch of highway was closed two weeks ago, snarling traffic around the city all weekend.
—Steven Rosenbaum, CBS News, 30 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Snarling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/snarling. Accessed 16 Mar. 2026.
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