Snatch
Pronunciation
- IPA: /snætʃ/
- Rhymes: -ætʃ
Origin 1
From Middle English snacchen, snecchen, from Old English *snæċċan, from *snakkijanÄ…, *snakkÅnÄ… ("to nibble, snort, chatter"). Cognate with Dutch snakken ("to sob, pant, long for"), Low German snacken ("to chatter"), German schnacken ("to chat"), Norwegian snakke ("to chat"). Related to snack.
Full definition of snatch
Verb
- To grasp quickly.He snatched up the phone.
- To attempt to seize something suddenly; to catch.to snatch at a rope
- To take or seize hastily, abruptly, or without permission or ceremony.to snatch a kiss
- Alexander Popewhen half our knowledge we must snatch, not take
- To grasp and remove quickly.
- 1922, Virginia Woolf, Jacob's Room Chapter 2"How many times have I told you?" she cried, and seized him and snatched his stick away from him.
- ThomsonSnatch me to heaven.
- He snatched the letter out of the secretary's hand.
- To steal.Someone has just snatched my purse!
- (by extension) To take a victory at the last moment.
- 2012, May 13, Alistair Magowan, Sunderland 0-1 Man Utd, But, with United fans in celebratory mood as it appeared their team might snatch glory, they faced an anxious wait as City equalised in stoppage time.
- To do something quickly due to limited time available.
- 1918, W. B. Maxwell, The Mirror and the Lamp Chapter 10, It was a joy to snatch some brief respite, and find himself in the rectory drawing–room. Listening here was as pleasant as talking; just to watch was pleasant. The young priests who lived here wore cassocks and birettas; their faces were fine and mild, yet really strong, like the rector's face; and in their intercourse with him and his wife they seemed to be brothers.
- He snatched a sandwich before catching the train.He snatched a glimpse of her while her mother had her back turned.
Synonyms
Derived terms
Noun
snatch
(plural snatches)- A quick grab or catch.The leftfielder makes a nice snatch to end the inning.
- (weightlifting) A competitive weightlifting event in which a barbell is lifted from the platform to locked arms overhead in a smooth continuous movement.
- A piece of some sound, usually music or conversation.I heard a snatch of Mozart as I passed the open window.
- (vulgar slang) A vulva.
- 1962, Douglas Woolf, Wall to Wall, Grove Press, page 83,Claude, is it true what they say about Olovia? Of course she’s getting a little old for us—what about Marilyum, did you try her snatch?
- 1985, Jackie Collins, Lucky, Simon and Schuster, ISBN 0671524933, page 150,Roughly Santino ripped the sheet from the bed, exposing all of her. She had blond hair on her snatch, which drove him crazy. He was partial to blondes.
- 2008, Jim Craig, North to Disaster, Bushak Press, ISBN 0961711213, page 178,“...You want me to ask Brandy to let you paint her naked body with all this gooey stuff to make a mold of her snatch?â€