as in grabbed
to take physical control or possession of (something) suddenly or forcibly
the brazen seagull snatched the french fry right from my hand
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Recent Examples of snatched
Mischief in the mind of Cole Martin, the defensive back, moonlighted as a magician and snatched the direct snap before darting through a crease and churning ahead for a trick of a first down.
—
Ira Gorawara, New York Times, 11 Oct. 2025
Before it all got snatched away.
—Allen Iverson, Rolling Stone, 10 Oct. 2025
For starters, a sting operation on which she’s been working tirelessly gets snatched away from her by the FBI.
—Andy Swift, TVLine, 9 Oct. 2025
In a TikTok video, the woman shared the moment when her dog, a cocker spaniel named Tiki, jumped up and snatched her burger right out of her hand.
—Maria Morava, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Oct. 2025
While living in Barcelona for four months, a man on a bike snatched my phone right out of my hand, leaving me stranded without a way to contact anyone.
—Rosie Marder, Travel + Leisure, 5 Oct. 2025
The mother of two has been on a fitness journey and the results are in—our good sis is snatched.
—Elizabeth Ayoola, Essence, 4 Oct. 2025
Given how nonplussed so many people were by his Thomas Pynchon adaptation, you’d be forgiven for thinking Anderson snatched a deserved nomination from Gillian Flynn for her Gone Girl adaptation.
—Joe Reid, Vulture, 4 Oct. 2025
When the clerk, Merika Senior, tried to call her attorney, the woman in the ICE shirt driving the car reached back and snatched the phone from her hand, according to the report.
—Allison Gordon, CNN Money, 2 Oct. 2025
Ira Gorawara, New York Times, 11 Oct. 2025
Before it all got snatched away.
—Allen Iverson, Rolling Stone, 10 Oct. 2025
For starters, a sting operation on which she’s been working tirelessly gets snatched away from her by the FBI.
—Andy Swift, TVLine, 9 Oct. 2025
In a TikTok video, the woman shared the moment when her dog, a cocker spaniel named Tiki, jumped up and snatched her burger right out of her hand.
—Maria Morava, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Oct. 2025
While living in Barcelona for four months, a man on a bike snatched my phone right out of my hand, leaving me stranded without a way to contact anyone.
—Rosie Marder, Travel + Leisure, 5 Oct. 2025
The mother of two has been on a fitness journey and the results are in—our good sis is snatched.
—Elizabeth Ayoola, Essence, 4 Oct. 2025
Given how nonplussed so many people were by his Thomas Pynchon adaptation, you’d be forgiven for thinking Anderson snatched a deserved nomination from Gillian Flynn for her Gone Girl adaptation.
—Joe Reid, Vulture, 4 Oct. 2025
When the clerk, Merika Senior, tried to call her attorney, the woman in the ICE shirt driving the car reached back and snatched the phone from her hand, according to the report.
—Allison Gordon, CNN Money, 2 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for snatched
Verb
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Two of them were on the doors of a reach-in cooler on the expo line and were grabbed by the manager.—
David J. Neal,
Miami Herald,
17 Oct. 2025
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MacDonald grabbed a knife from the kitchen and threatened to kill himself, cutting at his throat, prosecutors said.—
Caelyn Pender,
Mercury News,
16 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Trubisky to former Saint Jimmy Graham, who caught the football and immediately ran up the tunnel into his offseason.—
Dan Wiederer,
New York Times,
16 Oct. 2025
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These fins, 50 percent larger and stronger, will play a vital role in steering, slowing, and eventually allowing the rocket to be caught mid-air by the launch tower’s arms for rapid reusability.—
Kaif Shaikh,
Interesting Engineering,
15 Oct. 2025
Verb
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In Gaza, the same preparations were being made to receive 250 Palestinian prisoners convicted of serious crimes, and 1,700 who were seized by Israel during the war and held without charge, including 22 children.—
Richard Hall,
Time,
12 Oct. 2025
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Israel is to free some 250 Palestinians serving prison sentences, as well as around 1,700 people seized from Gaza the past two years and held without charge.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
12 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Snatched.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/snatched. Accessed 19 Oct. 2025.
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