as in grabbing
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of snatching
Kansas City Star, 12 June 2026
Schuman now faces a felony count of robbery by sudden snatching in addition to three misdemeanors — one count of battery, one count of petit theft and one count of criminal mischief, court records show.
—Angie Dimichele, Sun Sentinel, 13 May 2026
His co-defendant Cristian Montecino-Sanzana pleaded guilty to two counts related to one of the three thefts that Bustamante Leiva admitted — an April 12 purse-snatching at a Nando's restaurant.
—Kevin Breuninger, CNBC, 22 Apr. 2026
Many Londoners have firsthand experience of phone-snatching or have witnessed the surge in shoplifting documented by the Office for National Statistics.
—CNN Money, 13 Jan. 2026
Polls show that Londoners broadly feel safe in their town, although property theft, particularly phone snatching and shoplifting, has leapt up in recent years.
—Tim McDonnell, semafor.com, 13 Jan. 2026
Reactions from Moscow and Beijing to Maduro’s snatching have varied.
—Comfort Ero, Time, 9 Jan. 2026
Manipulation, threats, acts of physical and psychological violence (to oneself and others), as well as actual body snatching, were all part of Cipher’s brand while Linklater embodied Gen V’s season two big bad.
—Jackie Strause, HollywoodReporter, 24 Oct. 2025
While millions are riveted by Sunday’s seven-minute jewelry heist of Napoleonic jewels at the Louvre, another major sizable snatching, the 1990 break-in at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston, resurfaced in the news in a different way.
—Rosemary Feitelberg, Footwear News, 20 Oct. 2025
Latif Love
june 18, Kansas City Star, 18 June 2026
Hart willingly did the dirty work, snatching up rebounds rather than points.
—Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 15 June 2026
This allowed Porsche’s Neel Jani to erase a 70-second gap right at the death, snatching the victory from Toyota in a last-lap heist.
—Sam Joseph, New York Times, 11 June 2026
She was booked and charged with two counts of battery, robbery by snatching and criminal mischief.
—Colson Thayer, PEOPLE, 3 June 2026
Five people were arrested last week after a months-long investigation into a series of chain-snatching robberies in San Francisco, police said on Wednesday.
—Kassia Bonesteel, CBS News, 27 May 2026
All four keep impatiently cutting each other off, snatching the phone back and forth.
—Murtada Elfadl, Variety, 19 May 2026
The Unit was responsible for snatching former Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro.
—David Hookstead Outkick, FOXNews.com, 11 May 2026
The suspect, identified by police as Abraham Recinos, was seen snatching tools from one home, then tossing them next door before walking to Bruce Casey’s residence.
—Ted Scouten, Miami Herald, 2 May 2026
Noun
Former Kansas City Councilwoman Joanne Collins was 89 when she was dragged to the ground during a March 2025 purse snatching.
—Kansas City Star, 12 June 2026
Schuman now faces a felony count of robbery by sudden snatching in addition to three misdemeanors — one count of battery, one count of petit theft and one count of criminal mischief, court records show.
—Angie Dimichele, Sun Sentinel, 13 May 2026
His co-defendant Cristian Montecino-Sanzana pleaded guilty to two counts related to one of the three thefts that Bustamante Leiva admitted — an April 12 purse-snatching at a Nando's restaurant.
—Kevin Breuninger, CNBC, 22 Apr. 2026
Many Londoners have firsthand experience of phone-snatching or have witnessed the surge in shoplifting documented by the Office for National Statistics.
—CNN Money, 13 Jan. 2026
Polls show that Londoners broadly feel safe in their town, although property theft, particularly phone snatching and shoplifting, has leapt up in recent years.
—Tim McDonnell, semafor.com, 13 Jan. 2026
Reactions from Moscow and Beijing to Maduro’s snatching have varied.
—Comfort Ero, Time, 9 Jan. 2026
Manipulation, threats, acts of physical and psychological violence (to oneself and others), as well as actual body snatching, were all part of Cipher’s brand while Linklater embodied Gen V’s season two big bad.
—Jackie Strause, HollywoodReporter, 24 Oct. 2025
While millions are riveted by Sunday’s seven-minute jewelry heist of Napoleonic jewels at the Louvre, another major sizable snatching, the 1990 break-in at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston, resurfaced in the news in a different way.
—Rosemary Feitelberg, Footwear News, 20 Oct. 2025
Verb
Two balls, two strikes and the Vibe on the verge of snatching back some momentum.
—Latif Love
june 18, Kansas City Star, 18 June 2026
Hart willingly did the dirty work, snatching up rebounds rather than points.
—Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 15 June 2026
This allowed Porsche’s Neel Jani to erase a 70-second gap right at the death, snatching the victory from Toyota in a last-lap heist.
—Sam Joseph, New York Times, 11 June 2026
She was booked and charged with two counts of battery, robbery by snatching and criminal mischief.
—Colson Thayer, PEOPLE, 3 June 2026
Five people were arrested last week after a months-long investigation into a series of chain-snatching robberies in San Francisco, police said on Wednesday.
—Kassia Bonesteel, CBS News, 27 May 2026
All four keep impatiently cutting each other off, snatching the phone back and forth.
—Murtada Elfadl, Variety, 19 May 2026
The Unit was responsible for snatching former Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro.
—David Hookstead Outkick, FOXNews.com, 11 May 2026
The suspect, identified by police as Abraham Recinos, was seen snatching tools from one home, then tossing them next door before walking to Bruce Casey’s residence.
—Ted Scouten, Miami Herald, 2 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for snatching
Noun
-
After weeks of overnight fuel thefts, Rocklin police arrested a suspect during an early Thursday traffic stop, the department announced.—
Reeti Malhotra,
Sacbee.com,
19 June 2026
-
Among the grounds listed are fraud, embezzlement, theft, misappropriation of district resources, breach of fiduciary duty, neglect of duties, criminal convictions, violations of law, policy violations, dishonesty, insubordination and failure to perform contractual obligations.—
Nora O'Neill,
Charlotte Observer,
18 June 2026
Verb
-
Farage, Reform’s attention-grabbing but divisive leader, was a curiously low-key presence.—
Helen Lewis,
The Atlantic,
19 June 2026
-
With that in mind, if the Pacers want to acquire a draft pick, following their past and grabbing one in the 30s makes good sense.—
Tony East,
Forbes.com,
18 June 2026
Noun
-
Five candidates will face off in a June 23 primary in New York's 17th Congressional District, a swath of the Hudson Valley that's up for grabs in November and crucial to the battle for House control.—
Chris McKenna,
USA Today,
22 June 2026
-
That is a lot of enterprise value up for grabs.—
Rob Toews,
Forbes.com,
22 June 2026
Verb
-
Residents and visitors line downtown streets waving flags, children scramble for the best candy-catching spots along the parade route, and families spend the day enjoying pancake breakfasts, baseball and an evening fireworks show.—
Nicole Buss,
Sacbee.com,
23 June 2026
-
Rushing’s injury could have suddenly put the Dodgers’ catching situation in a precarious position.—
Fabian Ardaya,
New York Times,
23 June 2026
Verb
-
Hezbollah and Israel went to war shortly after the outbreak of the wider conflict, with Hezbollah firing rockets and drones at civilian communities in northern Israel and Israel seizing large swaths of southern Lebanon.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
20 June 2026
-
Federal immigration agents were seizing people across the city.—
Gustavo Arellano,
Los Angeles Times,
19 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Snatching.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/snatching. Accessed 25 Jun. 2026.
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