snipping

verb

present participle of snip
as in shaving
to make (something) shorter or smaller with the use of a cutting instrument snipped the loose ends

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 snipping Keep the blooms looking fresh as long as possible by snipping away the leaves. — Samantha Johnson, Martha Stewart, 6 July 2026 Cut off the flower head by snipping the stem just above the first set of large leaves, McEnaney says. — Leanne Potts, Better Homes & Gardens, 3 June 2026 So don't be shy about snipping off leaves for your projects. — Melissa Epifano, The Spruce, 15 May 2026 Police are searching for a straphanger suspected of unbolting a door switch from a inside a downtown C train Monday evening, snipping the wires and then absconding with the train part, sources tell the Daily News. — Evan Simko-Bednarski, New York Daily News, 14 May 2026 Nguyen’s striking direction in the scenes in which Kristen faces her future in the hospital elevates the maudlin material, especially after Kristen makes the choice to lose a leg in the hopes of snipping the cancer in the bud. — Marya E. Gates, IndieWire, 13 May 2026 Its DuoScrub rotary mops apply downward pressure to erase stains, while a specialized hair-snipping brush eliminates manual detangling. — Juhi Wadia, PC Magazine, 6 May 2026 One enzyme acts as a random chopper, snipping the long polymer chains into smaller pieces, while the other slowly chews these pieces into their monomer building units from each end. — Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 3 May 2026 This is easily accomplished by snipping the smaller ones (when a few inches tall) beneath the soil line instead of uprooting them, which could disturb the roots of the single seedling in each cluster. — Joshua Siskin, Oc Register, 1 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for snipping
  1. shaving
  2. cutting
  3. trimming
  4. clipping
Verb
  • Try roasting it with olive oil and salt, sautéing it and adding it to a pasta or grain bowl, or shaving it with a vegetable peeler and adding the raw strips to a salad for some crunch.
    — Sarah Anzlovar, Verywell Health, 20 July 2026
  • And while the results last much longer than shaving, each session typically takes more time, especially when treating larger areas like the legs.
    — Iman Balagam, Vogue, 17 July 2026
Definition of shaving
Verb
  • Germany’s biggest automaker is planning a massive restructuring and cost-cutting program in response to intensifying competition from Chinese electric vehicle makers and higher tariffs on its exports to the United States.
    — Hanna Ziady, CNN Money, 24 July 2026
  • This past winter, Madison lawmakers shot down a budget proposal that would have paid for a body camera program by cutting funds to the monitor.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 24 July 2026
Definition of cutting
Verb
  • Rather than just trimming stems and plopping them in a vase, reflexing plays with the form of the flower by gently folding petals backwards to open up the bloom.
    — Cameron Beall, Southern Living, 18 July 2026
  • Even the Oklahoma City Thunder, who are still sitting on a huge haul of future draft capital, had to start trimming their supporting cast this offseason because Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams’ max extensions kicked in.
    — Bryan Toporek, Forbes.com, 17 July 2026
Definition of trimming
Verb
  • Launched by General Mills in 1996, it was built to invite parents to turn ordinary grocery purchases into support for their child's school, originally by clipping box tops, now by scanning receipts in an app.
    — Karl Mawhinney, Forbes.com, 22 July 2026
  • He was arrested crossing the border from Mexico into Texas in September 1981, according to a news clipping from the Chicago Tribune.
    — Doha Madani, NBC news, 16 July 2026
Definition of clipping

Browse Nearby Words

snippety
snipping
snippy
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Snipping.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/snipping. Accessed 26 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on snipping

Nglish: Translation of snipping for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of aerie

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Democracy or Republic: What's the difference?

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Do you 'say your piece' or 'say your peace'?

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

The Words of the Week - Jul 24

Why do we say 'fly off the handle'?
See More

Popular

See More

Democracy or Republic: What's the difference?

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
chain-question-mark
Missing Link Quiz July 2026 Five seconds to figure out the word that fits bot...
See All