as in shaving
to make (something) shorter or smaller with the use of a cutting instrument
snipped the loose ends
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Recent Examples of snipping
Heckel crowed with delight as Strong tried paper, snipping her classmate’s fingers with scissors to complete the sweep.
—
Emily Adams, Hartford Courant, 16 Mar. 2026
Cut individual stems as needed, snipping above a leaf node to encourage continued growth.
—Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 18 Jan. 2026
Prune it by snipping off the dead stems in spring.
—Megan Hughes, Better Homes & Gardens, 23 Dec. 2025
The nightingale tossed the worm in the air, snipping it in two with her beak and crushing its gummy, writhing halves against a flat rock.
—Hazlitt, 19 Nov. 2025
In the video, Sweeney goes from dirty blonde, with Oropeza methodically snipping the ends of her chin-length hair, to an icy, bright blonde.
—Kimi Robinson, USA Today, 27 Oct. 2025
White House aides are snipping at Republican colleagues on the Hill that this is on them to sort out.
—Phil Elliott, Time, 8 Oct. 2025
An artist and aspiring beautician From the age of three, Traelynn was painting and snipping her own hair, sparking her love for cosmotology, her mother said.
—Kansas City Star, 14 Aug. 2025
Ruiz Avalos, 28, started snipping away but kept a close eye on her customer.
—Marlene Lenthang, NBC news, 2 Aug. 2025
Emily Adams, Hartford Courant, 16 Mar. 2026
Cut individual stems as needed, snipping above a leaf node to encourage continued growth.
—Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 18 Jan. 2026
Prune it by snipping off the dead stems in spring.
—Megan Hughes, Better Homes & Gardens, 23 Dec. 2025
The nightingale tossed the worm in the air, snipping it in two with her beak and crushing its gummy, writhing halves against a flat rock.
—Hazlitt, 19 Nov. 2025
In the video, Sweeney goes from dirty blonde, with Oropeza methodically snipping the ends of her chin-length hair, to an icy, bright blonde.
—Kimi Robinson, USA Today, 27 Oct. 2025
White House aides are snipping at Republican colleagues on the Hill that this is on them to sort out.
—Phil Elliott, Time, 8 Oct. 2025
An artist and aspiring beautician From the age of three, Traelynn was painting and snipping her own hair, sparking her love for cosmotology, her mother said.
—Kansas City Star, 14 Aug. 2025
Ruiz Avalos, 28, started snipping away but kept a close eye on her customer.
—Marlene Lenthang, NBC news, 2 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for snipping
Verb
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That's because these plug-in or balcony solar panels start shaving off part of a homeowner's or renter's utility bill right away.—
Jeff Brady,
NPR,
12 Mar. 2026
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Jalen Smith, one of the men alleged to have helped perpetrate a sprawling college basketball point-shaving scheme, pleaded guilty Monday in federal court to charges stemming from a Department of Justice indictment that unspooled the gambling ring.—
Mike Vorkunov,
New York Times,
9 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Virginia made one last push, cutting TCU’s lead to 65-55, but the Horned Frogs quickly delivered the knockout blow as Miles knocked down a 3 and Suarez hit sophomore center Clara Silva for a layup to end Virginia’s hopes of another upset.—
Steven Johnson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
29 Mar. 2026
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Huston’s come a long way from cutting hair near 87th Street and Wornall Road.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
29 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Officials will spend months trimming, adding to and massaging the financial books to address residents’ priorities.—
Devyani Chhetri,
Dallas Morning News,
28 Mar. 2026
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In 2018, seventeen-year-old landscaper Alex Childress was rushed to the hospital with third-degree burns on his face after unknowingly trimming giant hogweed.—
Natalie Krebs,
Outdoor Life,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Woods had rolled his vehicle after clipping the backend of the trailer, said the official, and was arrested for DUI with property damage and refusal to submit to a lawful test — Woods refused a urinalysis, according to police.—
Charisma Madarang,
Rolling Stone,
27 Mar. 2026
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Over the past year, clipping has become such an integral part of music promotion that many major and independent record companies now offer it in their suite of marketing tools, often hiring outside agencies to run clipping campaigns for both frontline and legacy acts.—
Steven J. Horowitz,
Variety,
26 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Snipping.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/snipping. Accessed 29 Mar. 2026.
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