snag1 nounsnag2 verb
snagsnag1 /snæɡ/ noun [countable] 
WORD ORIGINsnag1
Origin:
1500-1600 Probably from a Scandinavian languageEXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- The case hit a snag in October when the judge handling it had to be replaced.
- The cleanup effort was delayed for a few days by some technical snags and equipment problems.
- The House worked out some last-minute snags on the legislation.
- The process hit a snag Tuesday when a vital meeting had to be canceled.
- However, there's a snag in this intergalactic transportation scheme.
- The snag is that online users are reluctant to give out information about themselves to Web sites.
- The snags offer safe nesting sites for birds, as thousands of young trees and plants sprout up on the surrounding riverbank.
- This is much easier than it sounds but not without snags.
THESAURUS
a problem that stops you from making progress: · The space program suffered a major setback when the space shuttle, Discovery, exploded.
informal a problem, especially one that you had not expected: · There’s a snag – I don’t have his number.
a small problem that delays or prevents something: · There have been a few last-minute hitches.
when something does not work in the way it should: · The plane developed engine trouble.
spoken a situation that is annoying because it causes problems: · Just trying to store all this stuff is a hassle.
Longman Language Activatorsomething that causes difficulties a bad situation that must be dealt with, because it is causing harm or inconvenience, or it is stopping you from doing what you want to do: have a problem: · If you have any problems, give me a call.problem with: · Sue's had a lot of problems with her neighbours recently.cause/create problems: · The new traffic system is causing problems for everyone.solve a problem (=find a way to deal with it): · Scientists still have not solved the problem of what to do with nuclear waste.the drug/crime etc problem: · Federal laws have almost no effect on the crime problem that concerns most people - crime on the streets.problem of: · The problem of substance abuse in high school is widespread.big/serious problem: · Our biggest problem is lack of money.· Whiteflies can be a serious problem that affects produce grown in California and other states.
a problem that makes it more difficult to do something that you are trying to do: · I don't expect major difficulties, although there are still differences to be worked out.difficulty with: · The main difficulty with this method is that it takes twice as long.have difficulty with (doing) something: · Youngsters may have difficulty applying the paint because of its thin consistency.get into difficulty/difficulties (=start to have problems in a situation): · Credit cards make it extremely easy to get into difficulty with debt.economic/financial difficulty: · The nation faces severe economic difficulties.language/technical/legal etc difficulty: · Police officers in most Californian cities need to be able to cope with language difficulties and cultural differences.face/experience difficulty: · Some parents experienced difficulty when they tried to move their children to other schools.be in difficulty/difficulties (=be in a situation that has problems): · Manchester United won easily, and never seemed to be in any difficulty.difficulty of doing something: · The difficulties of counting whales makes most population figures extremely unreliable.
a problem or several problems that make something difficult, spoil your plans etc: · The trouble was caused by a loose connection in the fuse box.· If you used the same tape later and had no sound trouble, the problem is in the video recorder, not the tape.trouble with: · The pilot reported trouble with both engines.have trouble: · We have had a lot of trouble with the car this year.have trouble doing something: · Norris had trouble finding work and is still unemployed.cause trouble: · Snow and freezing temperatures caused trouble at many airports.the trouble with something (=the one feature of something that is a problem): · The trouble with lasagne is that it takes so long to make.
informal a problem or a series of problems that are annoying because they involve a lot of work, arguing, inconvenience etc: · The airline doesn't make seat assignments, which can be a hassle for travelers, but it saves money.· Shopping by mail avoids the hassles of crowded stores at Christmastime.legal/bureaucratic etc hassles: · Byrd says he settled the claim to avoid legal hassles.it's too much hassle: · I don't want to organize a big party - it's too much hassle.
an additional problem that makes a situation even harder to deal with than it already is: · One complication is that the meals also need to be suitable for children of Islamic or Jewish faiths.· Legal and financial complications have made it impossible for the two companies to complete the deal on time.
a small problem within a long process: · The plan has a hitch: drilling holes for the owls in the trees will kill the trees. without a hitch (=without any problems): · The parade went off without a hitch, despite concern about protestors.· The shuttle landed without a hitch at Edwards Air Force Base.there's a hitch: · There was a hitch - about half the employees did not want to move to a different city.hitch in: · Nelson refused to comment on reports of a last-minute hitch in the negotiations.technical hitch: · There's been a slight technical hitch, so we'll have to postpone the video until later.
a small problem which is not very important compared to other things: · There was a slight hiccup when I couldn't find my car keys, but finally we set off.· The airline industry's troubles are a mere hiccup in an otherwise upward growth trend.
a small problem or disadvantage in something which is mainly good and satisfactory: · The cleanup effort was delayed for a few days by some technical snags and equipment problems.hit a snag/run into a snag: · The case hit a snag in October when the judge handling it had to be replaced.last-minute snag: · The House worked out some last-minute snags in the legislation.
a hidden problem or disadvantage in an offer that seems very good - use this especially when you think the problem has been deliberately hidden to trick people: there's a catch: · You get free meals and accommodation, but there's a catch -- you have to look after the children.with a catch: · Many of the best deals come with a catch: they are only good through early summer.the catch is (that): · The catch is that you can't enter the contest unless you have spent $50 in the store.
British small problems that a new company, product, system etc has at the beginning: · After a few teething troubles, the new car worked perfectly.· The disagreement was just one of the teething problems of the partnership.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRY
It’s an interesting job. The only snag is that it’s not very well paid. The grand opening hit a snag when no one could find the key.COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES My father hit a bad patch, and had to sell the house.COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSADJECTIVE
1a problem or disadvantage, especially one that is not very serious, which you had not expected: It’s an interesting job. The only snag is that it’s not very well paid. The grand opening hit a snag when no one could find the key. My father hit a bad patch, and had to sell the house.· The only snag was that Auger made a bad take-off and punctured one of his auxiliary tanks and broke off his tailwheel.· The only snag is that uncomfortable proviso.· I wish I could go with her, that's the only snag.· From the ant's perspective the only snag in this excellent scheme is the quality of its diet.· The only snag in his life is everybody expects him to live up to his heart-throb image.· The only snag was that I had bad after-effects from the anaesthetic.
VERB· However, the industry may hit snags in cashing in on their investments.· Wednesday, the pact hit a snag Thursday morning over several smaller issues.· Almost immediately after researchers began exploring this question, however, they hit a series of snags.· The effort to regulate HMOs hit a snag in the recent legislative session, when Gov.
It’s an interesting job. The only snag is that it’s not very well paid.hit/run into a snag The grand opening hit a snag when no one could find the key.► see thesaurus at problemRegisterSnag is slightly informal. In written English, people usually prefer to use problem or disadvantage instead:· The only disadvantage is that it takes a little longer.2a part of a dead tree that sticks out, especially one that is under water and can be dangerous3a sharp part of something that sticks out and holds or cuts things that touch itsnag1 nounsnag2 verb
snagsnag2 verb (past tense and past participle snagged, present participle snagging) [transitive] VERB TABLE
snag
| Simple Form | ||
| Present | I, you, we, they | snag |
| he, she, it | snags | |
| Past | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | snagged |
| Present perfect | I, you, we, they | have snagged |
| he, she, it | has snagged | |
| Past perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | had snagged |
| Future | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will snag |
| Future perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will have snagged |
| Continuous Form | ||
| Present | I | am snagging |
| he, she, it | is snagging | |
| you, we, they | are snagging | |
| Past | I, he, she, it | was snagging |
| you, we, they | were snagging | |
| Present perfect | I, you, we, they | have been snagging |
| he, she, it | has been snagging | |
| Past perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | had been snagging |
| Future | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will be snagging |
| Future perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will have been snagging |
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- Danny's kite snagged in the upper branches of a tree.
- The parking lot was almost full, but I snagged a space in the last row.
- A similar experiment was attempted in mid-1992, but it was interrupted when the tether became snagged in a deployer mechanism.
- And then the hospital just goes and snags some other kid on the hook.
- Don't open the packet with your teeth and be careful not to snag the rubber with rings or finger-nails.
- His eyes snagged on some of them, the infamous dates-I 917, 1 929-and skated right over others.
- However the textured topside can easily mark or snag, and paste can not be successfully removed from it.
- The trial follows the Antares tragedy in which four fishermen drowned after a submarine snagged its nets in the Firth of Clyde.
- This savvy-enough production will snag hordes who love a mindless evening.
THESAURUS
to damage paper or cloth by pulling it too hard, or letting it touch something sharp: · She unwrapped the present carefully, trying not to tear the paper.· I tore a hole in my jacket, climbing over the fence.
to tear something quickly or violently: · Beth excitedly ripped open the package.· Stop pulling my dress! You’ll rip it!
to tear your trousers or shirt when you put them on, because they are too tight for you: · He bent down and split his trousers.· Oh no, now I’ve split my shirt.
British English if a woman ladders her tights or stockings, she tears them so that a long thin line appears in them: · Damn! I’ve laddered my tights!
to catch a piece of clothing on something rough or sharp so that it tears slightly: · I snagged my shirt on a nail.
to deliberately destroy letters, documents etc by cutting them into thin pieces, often by using a special machine: · In order to prevent fraud, it’s best to shred your bank statements.· I went through all my papers shredding things I didn’t need.
torn a little along the edges – used about clothes, carpets etc that have been used a lot: · He was wearing an old pair of frayed jeans.· The rug was a little frayed around the edges.· The jacket was a little frayed at the cuffs.
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES My father hit a bad patch, and had to sell the house.
1to damage something by getting it stuck on something sharp: My father hit a bad patch, and had to sell the house. Oh no! I’ve snagged my stockings.2American English informal to succeed in getting something, especially something difficult to get: I snagged a parking space in the last row.