snatch 1 of 2

snatch

2 of 2

noun

slang
as in kidnaping
the unlawful or forcible carrying away of a person or animal to the police chief, it didn't look like a snatch, but another case of a bride-to-be getting cold feet

Synonyms & Similar Words

Synonym Chooser

How is the word snatch different from other verbs like it?

Some common synonyms of snatch are clutch, grab, grasp, seize, and take. While all these words mean "to get hold of by or as if by catching up with the hand," snatch suggests more suddenness or quickness but less force than seize.

snatched a doughnut and ran

When is it sensible to use clutch instead of snatch?

The words clutch and snatch can be used in similar contexts, but clutch suggests avidity or anxiety in seizing or grasping and may imply less success in holding.

clutching her purse

How are the words grab and snatch related?

Grab implies more roughness or rudeness than snatch.

grabbed roughly by the arm

When would grasp be a good substitute for snatch?

The words grasp and snatch are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, grasp stresses a laying hold so as to have firmly in possession.

grasp the handle and pull

In what contexts can seize take the place of snatch?

While the synonyms seize and snatch are close in meaning, seize implies a sudden and forcible movement in getting hold of something tangible or an apprehending of something fleeting or elusive when intangible.

seized the suspect

When can take be used instead of snatch?

The meanings of take and snatch largely overlap; however, take is a general term applicable to any manner of getting something into one's possession or control.

take some salad from the bowl

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 snatch
Verb
To reward the doors that have been helping Asics snatch away market share from its competitors, the Japanese company tapped Concepts, Extra Butter, Feature, Lapstone & Hammer, Sneaker Politics, Somewhere and The Whitaker Group. Riley Jones, Footwear News, 27 Sep. 2025 This week, Jimmy Kimmel returned, a weird statue vanished and no one (to our knowledge) got snatched up to heaven. Holly J. Morris, NPR, 26 Sep. 2025
Noun
The text, sung by two sopranos, may well have been in Esperanto, as only snatches were decipherable. Alan G. Artner, chicagotribune.com, 4 June 2017 The beat is now peppy with drum and snatches of piano, a common Beatles rhythm. Nicholas Dawidoff, The Atlantic, 18 May 2017 See All Example Sentences for snatch
Recent Examples of Synonyms for snatch
Verb
  • Today is the last day to grab a lifetime license for Windows 11 Pro for only $13 (reg.
    PC Magazine, PC Magazine, 30 Sep. 2025
  • As the clock expired on a win Brian Daboll desperately needed, the New York Giants coach grabbed rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart.
    Dan Duggan, New York Times, 29 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Information that was missing also caught the attention of the experts Joan consulted.
    Shaun McKinnon, AZCentral.com, 30 Sep. 2025
  • During a two-point conversion play, Jennings caught the ball in the endzone, but was smashed between two Jaguars defenders.
    James Brizuela, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Armas’ abduction is one of dozens detailed in the United Nations Fact-Finding Mission’s 2025 report on Venezuela.
    Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 23 Sep. 2025
  • Now spreading to other Blue states and cities, the LA abductions saw heavy protests in DTLA and Trump federalizing the state’s National Guard and hundreds of Marines to clampdown.
    Dominic Patten, Deadline, 20 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • The boost would be short-lived, as the Shamrocks seized the momentum back with a strong defensive response and took possession over at the Spartans’ 29-yard line.
    Erik Anderson, Boston Herald, 27 Sep. 2025
  • In September, the DEA in Atlanta seized over 1,000 pounds of meth in an operation targeting the CJNG.
    Asher Redd, FOXNews.com, 27 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Two are currently in development; the first, a feature length documentary about one of the most successful women’s soccer teams in Africa, the second a feature length documentary about the surprising aftermath of a kidnapping.
    Brent Lang, Variety, 26 Sep. 2025
  • He was arrested on charges of kidnapping, carjacking and aggravated stalking, according to authorities.
    Julia Marnin, Miami Herald, 26 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Child recruitment by armed gangs surged by 70% last year, while rapes are on the rise.
    Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 30 Sep. 2025
  • Cassie, his ex-girlfriend who first sued him for rape and trafficking, took the stand to tell her stories of their toxic relationship.
    Armon Sadler, VIBE.com, 30 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • The hijacking of the sport and the community institutions that built it, by noxious forces using it for their own means.
    Nick Miller, New York Times, 24 Sep. 2025
  • This prevents session hijacking if the system keeps tokens cached.
    Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 22 Sep. 2025

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Snatch.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/snatch. Accessed 5 Oct. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on snatch

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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