snatch
verb /snætʃ/
/snætʃ/
Verb Forms
Idioms Phrasal Verbs| present simple I / you / we / they snatch | /snætʃ/ /snætʃ/ |
| he / she / it snatches | /ˈsnætʃɪz/ /ˈsnætʃɪz/ |
| past simple snatched | /snætʃt/ /snætʃt/ |
| past participle snatched | /snætʃt/ /snætʃt/ |
| -ing form snatching | /ˈsnætʃɪŋ/ /ˈsnætʃɪŋ/ |
- [transitive, intransitive] to take something quickly and often rudely or roughly synonym grab
- snatch something (+ adv./prep.) She managed to snatch the gun from his hand.
- Gordon snatched up his jacket and left the room.
- (+ adv./prep.) Hey, you kids! Don't all snatch!
Extra Examples- She almost snatched the letter from my hand.
- She leaped to her feet, snatching up her bag.
- She snatched her hand back.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- almost
- quickly
- away
- …
- try to
- at
- from
- out of
- …
- [transitive] snatch somebody/something (from somebody/something) to take somebody/something away from a person or place, especially by force synonym steal
- The raiders snatched $100 from the cash register.
- The baby was snatched from its parents' car.
- Someone tried to snatch her purse.
- [transitive] snatch something to take or get something quickly, especially because you do not have much time
- I managed to snatch an hour's sleep.
- The team snatched a dramatic victory in the last minute of the game.
Word OriginMiddle English sna(c)che (verb) ‘suddenly snap at’, (noun) ‘a snare’; perhaps related to snack.
Idioms
snatch victory from the jaws of defeat
- to win something even though it seemed up until the last moment that you would lose The idiom is often reversed for humorous effect to show that a person or team were expected to win, but then lost at the last moment, snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.