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
Keke Palmer, doubled down on the red hair trend, snatching her ponytail up like Tracee Ellis Ross, who preferred a natural black color. India Espy-Jones, Essence, 5 May 2025 Duren snatched the rebound with 3.2 seconds left, and Detroit called timeout. Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 25 Apr. 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
  • Combs returns to the scene shortly thereafter and appears to grab at the phone.
    Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 14 May 2025
  • The Pineapple Express actress allegedly grabbed and struck van Ree's arm in an altercation at a Seattle airport.
    Alex Gurley, People.com, 13 May 2025
Verb
  • Yet octopuses have been caught performing incredible feats such as escaping aquarium tanks, solving puzzles, unscrewing jar lids and carrying shells as shields.
    Yasemin Saplakoglu, Wired News, 11 May 2025
  • In Barca’s 4-0 win in La Liga against Madrid at the Bernabeu in October, Madrid were caught offside 12 times.
    Guillermo Rai, New York Times, 11 May 2025
Noun
  • The court has issued an arrest warrant for Putin for war crimes, accusing him of personal responsibility for the abductions of children from Ukraine, as well as five other officials.
    Molly Quell, Los Angeles Times, 9 May 2025
  • The false premise that mass deportation would only target those already with an undocumented status has helped grease the wheels for sweeping abductions of individuals and families who have been living peacefully and working hard in communities across the country.
    Karen Tumlin, Time, 6 May 2025
Verb
  • The White House, with Vice President JD Vance’s experience in tech, should seize this moment to build a national AI strategy that does not leave the workers behind.
    Lynn Forester de Rothschild, Time, 11 May 2025
  • This time, the case moved forward alongside multiple simultaneous investigations and cases in other states, and in 2018, the federal government seized Backpage and it was taken down.
    Kate Wolffe, Sacbee.com, 11 May 2025
Noun
  • Very few people in the area drive that model, and only one of them has a prior rape conviction—Mike.
    Isadora Wandermurem, Time, 16 May 2025
  • Friends and partners Sasa and Kalle once shared a vision of justice — now, with one embroiled in a personal rape case and the other defending a high-profile gang member, their ideals and loyalties begin to unravel.
    Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 15 May 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Snatch.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/snatch. Accessed 23 May. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on snatch

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