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
Just like that, the underdog Pistons snatched home-court advantage away from the Knicks in the best-of-seven bout. Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 22 Apr. 2025 Get smoothed and snatched with the help of these bodysuits, shorts, and underwear. Louryn Strampe, Wired News, 21 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
  • Antetokounmpo finished the game by scoring 36 points, grabbing 13 rebounds, and blocking two shots.
    Nicholas Creel, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 Apr. 2025
  • Police said that once Davis left the apartment, the surviving 10-year-old quickly grabbed her baby brother, locked the door and called for help.
    Chris Spargo, People.com, 18 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • The double strain catches small bits of ginger and also lime pulp. Credits Recipe developed by Juliana Hale.
    Katlyn Moncada, Better Homes & Gardens, 29 Apr. 2025
  • The body position of Anderson is revealing here, caught between closing Savinho down and covering the pass out wide.
    Thom Harris, New York Times, 29 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • An abduction must have occurred, the child must be at risk of serious injury or death, and there has to be descriptive information about the child, the suspect or the suspect's vehicle.
    Nicholas Creel, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 Apr. 2025
  • Israel’s bombing of the Gaza Strip began in October 2023, in response to the terrorist attack perpetrated by Hamas in Southern Israel on Oct. 7 that resulted in the deaths of 1,200 people and the abduction of 251 people.
    Marta Balaga, Variety, 17 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • Attackers could seize on the pattern by identifying nonexistent packages that are repeatedly hallucinated.
    Dan Goodin, ArsTechnica, 29 Apr. 2025
  • Officials seized less than 50 pounds of fentanyl along the U.S. northern border in the 2024 fiscal year, according to the AP, citing U.S. Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) data.
    Mohammed Soliman, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • An Alabama man convicted of a 2010 rape and murder on Thursday with a three-drug injection.
    Jasmine Laws, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Apr. 2025
  • Dana Martin, then an inmate at a prison in Las Cruces, N.M., was already serving two life sentences for the 2000 rape and murder of 15-year-old DeAndra Florucci.
    Ryan Coleman, EW.com, 24 Apr. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Snatch.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/snatch. Accessed 3 May. 2025.

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