snap1
/snap
/verb (snaps, snapping, snapped)
1Break suddenly and completely, typically with a sharp cracking sound: [no object]: guitar strings kept snapping [with object]: dead twigs can be snapped off...
- The door staircase suddenly snapped off the foundation and soared up into the clouds, suddenly being torn apart by flying shrapnel of glass and metal.
- Twigs were snapped off trees and one twig broke free from its limb and and flew straight at Spot and took his eye right out.
- We don't have a car any longer simply because we were fed up with having wing mirrors snapped off, windscreen wipers broken or paintwork scratched.
Synonyms
break, break in/into two, fracture, splinter, separate, come apart, part, split, crack
informal bust
1.1 [no object] Emit a sudden, sharp cracking sound: banners snapping in the breeze...
- The odd white flag with the red cross of St George snaps in the breeze on a makeshift flagpole of old aerials, high above the iron palisades, as if this was the last redoubt of a race on the verge of extinction.
- Once they had hauled out their gear, Alf Baker motored away, the flag on his little boat's bow snapping in the winter breeze.
- The sudden crack of canvas snapping in the wind halted his endeavours.
Synonyms
crack, flick, click, crackle;
flutter, wave, flap, quiver, vibrate
1.2 [with complement or adverbial] Move or alter with a brisk movement and typically a sharp sound: [with object]: Rosa snapped her bag shut [no object]: his mouth snapped into a tight, straight line...
- Sam promptly snapped her mouth shut, unaware that it had been moving in the first place.
- Risa fell quite upon his intent stare and Zaile followed suit, snapping his mouth shut to prevent further profanity.
- Zaile made to protest but snapped his mouth shut.
1.3 [no object] Suddenly lose one’s self-control: she claims she snapped after years of violence...
- I accept that on the fateful day you snapped and lost your self-control as a result of that build up.
- He claimed he could not remember anything of what followed before finding blood on himself, and told the jury he must have lost his temper and snapped after years of verbal abuse from Mr Berry.
- But for whatever reason, he snapped and lost his temper that night.
Synonyms
lose one's self-control, crack, freak, freak out, get overwrought, go to pieces, get hysterical, get worked up, flare up
informal crack up, lose one's cool, blow one's top, fly off the handle
British informal throw a wobbly
2 [no object] (Of an animal) make a sudden audible bite: a dog was snapping at his heels...
- If you've ever watched TV programmes of a shepherd and his dog, you'll have seen the dog snapping at the sheep s heels if they re slow to move.
- The dog was snapping at Marten, sending green foam all over him and the street.
- There are live crabs snapping at children, lobster tanks, and giant glass aquariums with huge fish floating sadly in limbo.
Synonyms
bite, gnash its teeth;
try to bite, try to nip
3 [reporting verb] Say something quickly and irritably: [no object]: McIllvanney snapped at her [with direct speech]: ‘I really don’t much care,’ she snapped...
- I snapped at him irritably, ignoring how my heart still bruised my ribcage with every beat.
- I just snapped at my kids for no reason other than I felt like snapping.
- The support worker snapped at me that she didn't have any patience with me after what had happened the night before, and I shouldn't even be there, I was lucky they let me go back.
Synonyms
say/speak roughly, say/speak brusquely, say/speak nastily, say/speak abruptly, say/speak angrily, bark, snarl, growl, fling, hurl;
lash out at;
retort, rejoin, riposte, retaliate, snap back;
round on someone
informal jump down someone's throat, fly off the handle at
4 [with object] Take a snapshot of: he planned to spend the time snapping rare wildlife [no object]: photographers were snapping away at her...
- The actress claims a paparazzo photographer used a telephoto lens to snap her when she was partly undressed in her home.
- Emaleth dug around her schoolbag, came up with a sleek little digital camera and snapped my picture before I could say a word.
- He tracked down a paparazzo photographer who had snapped him surfing, and the pictures showed he was wearing the ring before he entered the water, but not after.
Synonyms
photograph, take/get a photograph/photo of, take someone's picture/photo, take/get a picture of, picture, take/get a snapshot/snap of, take, shoot, take/get a shot of, take a likeness of, record, film, capture/record on film/celluloid
5 [with object] American Football Put (the ball) into play by a quick backward movement: time will not be resumed until the ball is snapped on the next play...
- A center not only is confronted with that, but he also must determine if blocking assignments need to change before he snaps the ball.
- Depending on the team's needs, he could be snapping the ball, pulling as a guard, or dealing with speedy defensive ends as an offensive tackle.
- He's the player every quarterback finds as step one in pre-snap reads to predict what kind of coverage he may see once the ball is snapped.
noun
1A sudden, sharp cracking sound or movement: she closed her purse with a snap...
- A cacophony of loud snaps and steps echoed through the forest, oftentimes followed by the loud blast of a rifle.
- Suddenly there was a loud snap, which sounded through the basement, and Lizzie had stopped screaming.
- Keily heard a loud snap, like the sound of bones breaking as she flew through the air.
Synonyms
click, crack, pop, clink, tick, report, smack, whack, crackle
1.1 [mass noun] Vigour or liveliness of style or action; zest: the snap of the dialogue...
- The vocal tone of the group was lovely but there was no oomph, no snap, no crackle and definitely no pop.
- DVDs counter a sluggish CD market by adding visual snap to the crackle of pop
- Like a bowl of rice bubbles that only needs milk, this article only needs a reader for it to go snap, crackle, pop!
Synonyms
dynamism, life, go, energy, spirit, vigour, vigorousness, liveliness, sparkle, vivacity, vitality, sprightliness, force, forcefulness, drive, strength, animation, verve, panache, elan, enthusiasm, exuberance, gusto, brio, zest, bite
informal oomph, pizzazz, zing, zip, feistiness
2 [in singular] A hurried, irritable tone or manner: ‘I’m still waiting,’ he said with a snap...
- The snap in his tone was such that Carlie started to rise and salute, believing herself dismissed, but Captain Boniece motioned for her to remain.
- Gerard Way stares me right in the eye, speaking with a slightly bitter snap in his tone that is only managed by those scorned by elitists in the past.
- The sharp snap of her mother's voice pierced her reverie.
3A snapshot: holiday snaps...
- Again don't worry about the quality; it can be a passport photo or a holiday snap!
- It means one thing to carry, and the quality is easily good enough for printable holiday snaps, he says.
- Shot with large format cameras and lit like a film set, the production of these photographs was far more than just for holiday snaps.
Synonyms
photograph, picture, photo, shot, snapshot, likeness, image, portrait, study, print, slide, transparency, negative, positive, plate, film, bromide, frame, exposure, still, proof, enprint, enlargement
4 [mass noun] British A card game in which cards from two piles are turned over simultaneously and players call ‘snap’ as quickly as possible when two similar cards are exposed.The school is also encouraging parents to introduce their children to cards games such as old maid, snap and bridge....
- A new pack of cards is set to revolutionise the way we play snap.
- To consolidate learning, children can make cards for a game of 'Snap', with one hand-drawn image and geographical term on each card.
4.1 [as exclamation] Said when one notices that one has or does the identical thing to someone else: ‘Snap!’ They looked at each other’s ties with a smile
5A sudden brief spell of cold or otherwise distinctive weather: a cold snap...
- Cold snaps may lead to frosts inland, though temperatures about the coast are generally mild all year round.
- Cold snaps won't hurt emerging leaves or closed buds, she added.
- A snap of cold and wet weather will give rise to pneumonia in calves so stay vigilant.
Synonyms
period, spell, time, interval, season, stretch, run
British informal patch, spot
6 [mass noun] Northern English Food, especially food taken to work to be eaten during a break.I hurried to get the snap which just meant that I bodged the job and had to do it again.
7 [in singular] North American informal An easy task: a control panel that makes operation a snap...
- Controlling the king was a snap - much easier than controlling his strong willed daughter.
- Agility courses and obedience trials are a snap for the cattle dog, so are intense sessions with Frisbee or flyball.
- She admits in a personal essay to having thought ‘in a moment of high arrogance’ that it would be a snap.
8 American Football A quick backward movement of the ball from the ground that begins a play.
9 (usually snaps) North American A press stud: a black cloth jacket with a lot of snaps and attachments...
- It has a front storm flap with zipper and hidden snaps, encased elastic cuffs and bottom hem, and bar-tacking at critical stress points.
- The custom-made cushions, covered with a durable outdoor fabric, are secured to the frame with snaps.
- It's made from soft cotton and features Western style pockets, pearl snap details, and Lurex stitching for a cool vintage look.
adjective [attributive]
Done or taken on the spur of the moment, unexpectedly, or without notice: a snap decision he could call a snap election...
- Beattie says his decision to call a snap election has been based on the need to urgently repair the state's system of child protection.
- Clinton and his advisors were clearly taken aback by Barak's snap election decision.
- My mother would make a snap judgment about him the moment she saw him, and, whether it be good or bad, when she heard he got me pregnant, all hell would break loose.
Phrases
in a snap
snap one's fingers
snap someone's head off
Phrasal verbs
snap out of
snap something up
Derivatives
snappable
- To get chocolate to be that perfect hard, snappable feel that is loved across the world we need to temper it.
- Shower curtain rings inspired the idea for this purse - I actually started the first version of it with the chunky snappable plastic rings from my shower.
- And then, once again, you are right that we have no evidence to prove or even point to a thin or snappable blade!
snappingly
- They are dark and snappingly crisp and efficient, the chocolate equivalent of an after-dinner mint.
- The male and female members can be combined with each other by inserting the annular stud snappingly into the annular socket.
- You will have a mouth-watering experience with their sushi made of carefully selected snappingly fresh fish, and the standard array of Japanese dishes such as udon, teriyaki-chicken and seaweed salad.
Origin
Late 15th century (in the senses 'make a sudden audible bite' and 'quick sharp biting sound'): probably from Middle Dutch or Middle Low German snappen 'seize'; partly imitative.
snack from Middle English:
The early sense recorded was ‘snap, bite’, from Middle Dutch snac(k), from snacken ‘to bite’, a variant of snappen, source of late Middle English snap. Senses relating to food date from the late 17th century; use of the word to mean ‘light incidental meal’ dates from the mid 18th century. Since snatch (Middle English) originally meant ‘snap suddenly’ it is probably related.
Rhymes
SNAP2
/snap
/abbreviation US
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (a federal program providing people on low income with financial assistance to purchase food).