Synonyms of snatch

snatch 1 of 2

verb

ˈsnach 

as in to grab

to take physical control or possession of (something) suddenly or forcibly

the brazen seagull snatched the french fry right from my hand

Synonyms & Similar Words

• grab
• catch
• seize
• get
• capture
• snag
• land
• nab
• trap
• snare
• hook
• take hold (of)
• corral
• grapple
• snap (up)
• net
• bag
• cop
• nail
• rap
• nobble
• hold
• glom
• grasp
• collar
• rope
• clutch
• arrest
• detain
• apprehend
• glove
• grip
• secure
• fist
• kidnap
• bay
• corner
• clasp
• wrest
• abduct
• rend
• ensnare
• entrap
• lasso
• fasten (on)
• latch (on or onto)
• halter
• mesh
• entangle
• spirit (away or off)
• enmesh

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• miss
• release
• free
• discharge
• drop
• liberate
• loosen
• unhand

snatch

2 of 2

noun

slang

as in abduction

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

• abduction
• rape
• kidnapping
• hijacking
• seizure
• impressment
• shanghaiing

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

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

Recent Examples of snatch

Verb

The former is now in shackles in a New York detention facility after being snatched from Caracas by US special forces in an extraordinary overnight raid. —John Liu, CNN Money, 4 Mar. 2026

However, when neighbors heard through community message networks that two local men were snatched up for deportation, hundreds of people left their daily lives to rush down to Kenmure Street and put their bodies on the line. —Matthew Carey, Deadline, 4 Mar. 2026

Noun

The major achievement of Ozon’s film is to adapt literature without literalizing (there are just two snatches of narration that are directly lifted from source), and to honor the novel’s mystery without trying to solve it. —Jessica Kiang, Variety, 2 Sep. 2025

While there hasn’t been a particular rash of private sales scams in the city lately, Bosques recalled a case the FBI cracked with the help of a Fremont detective who was investigating a snatch-and-grab robbery at a coffee shop in 2012. —Joseph Geha, The Mercury News, 8 June 2017