English Dictionary

SNAP (snapped, snapping)

Pronunciation (US): Play  (GB): Play

IPA (US): 

Irregular inflected forms: snapped  Listen to US pronunciation  Listen to GB pronunciation, snapping  Listen to US pronunciation  Listen to GB pronunciation

 Dictionary entry overview: What does snap mean? 

SNAP (noun)
  The noun SNAP has 13 senses:

1. the act of catching an object with the handsplay

2. a spell of cold weatherplay

3. tender green beans without strings that easily snap into sectionsplay

4. a crisp round cookie flavored with gingerplay

5. the noise produced by the rapid movement of a finger from the tip to the base of the thumb on the same handplay

6. a sudden sharp noiseplay

7. a sudden breakingplay

8. the tendency of a body to return to its original shape after it has been stretched or compressedplay

9. an informal photograph; usually made with a small hand-held cameraplay

10. a fastener used on clothing; fastens with a snapping soundplay

11. any undertaking that is easy to doplay

12. the act of snapping the fingers; movement of a finger from the tip to the base of the thumb on the same handplay

13. (American football) putting the ball in play by passing it (between the legs) to a backplay

  Familiarity information: SNAP used as a noun is familiar.


SNAP (verb)
  The verb SNAP has 13 senses:

1. utter in an angry, sharp, or abrupt toneplay

2. separate or cause to separate abruptlyplay

3. break suddenly and abruptly, as under tensionplay

4. move or strike with a noiseplay

5. close with a snapping motionplay

6. make a sharp soundplay

7. move with a snapping soundplay

8. to grasp hastily or eagerlyplay

9. put in play with a snapplay

10. cause to make a snapping soundplay

11. lose control of one's emotionsplay

12. bring the jaws togetherplay

13. record on photographic filmplay

  Familiarity information: SNAP used as a verb is familiar.


 Dictionary entry details 


SNAP (noun)


Sense 1

Meaning:

The act of catching an object with the hands

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Synonyms:

catch; grab; snap; snatch

Context example:

the infielder's snap and throw was a single motion

Hypernyms ("snap" is a kind of...):

touch; touching (the act of putting two things together with no space between them)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "snap"):

interception ((American football) the act of catching a football by a player on the opposing team)

reception ((American football) the act of catching a pass in football)

rebound (the act of securing possession of the rebounding basketball after a missed shot)

shoestring catch ((baseball) a running catch made near the ground)

interlock; interlocking; mesh; meshing (the act of interlocking or meshing)

fair catch ((American football) a catch of a punt on the fly by a defensive player who has signalled that he will not run and so should not be tackled)

Derivation:

snap (to grasp hastily or eagerly)


Sense 2

Meaning:

A spell of cold weather

Classified under:

Nouns denoting time and temporal relations

Context example:

a cold snap in the middle of May

Hypernyms ("snap" is a kind of...):

patch; piece; spell; while (a period of indeterminate length (usually short) marked by some action or condition)

Derivation:

snappy (pleasantly cold and invigorating)


Sense 3

Meaning:

Tender green beans without strings that easily snap into sections

Classified under:

Nouns denoting foods and drinks

Synonyms:

snap; snap bean

Hypernyms ("snap" is a kind of...):

green bean (immature bean pod eaten as a vegetable)


Sense 4

Meaning:

A crisp round cookie flavored with ginger

Classified under:

Nouns denoting foods and drinks

Synonyms:

ginger nut; ginger snap; gingersnap; snap

Hypernyms ("snap" is a kind of...):

biscuit; cookie; cooky (any of various small flat sweet cakes ('biscuit' is the British term))

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "snap"):

brandysnap (a gingersnap flavored with brandy)


Sense 5

Meaning:

The noise produced by the rapid movement of a finger from the tip to the base of the thumb on the same hand

Classified under:

Nouns denoting natural events

Context example:

servants appeared at the snap of his fingers

Hypernyms ("snap" is a kind of...):

noise (sound of any kind (especially unintelligible or dissonant sound))

Derivation:

snap (cause to make a snapping sound)

snap (make a sharp sound)


Sense 6

Meaning:

A sudden sharp noise

Classified under:

Nouns denoting natural events

Synonyms:

crack; cracking; snap

Context example:

he can hear the snap of a twig

Hypernyms ("snap" is a kind of...):

noise (sound of any kind (especially unintelligible or dissonant sound))

Derivation:

snap (close with a snapping motion)

snap (move or strike with a noise)

snap (move with a snapping sound)


Sense 7

Meaning:

A sudden breaking

Classified under:

Nouns denoting natural events

Hypernyms ("snap" is a kind of...):

break (the occurrence of breaking)

Derivation:

snap (break suddenly and abruptly, as under tension)

snap (separate or cause to separate abruptly)


Sense 8

Meaning:

The tendency of a body to return to its original shape after it has been stretched or compressed

Classified under:

Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects

Synonyms:

elasticity; snap

Context example:

the waistband had lost its snap

Hypernyms ("snap" is a kind of...):

physical property (any property used to characterize matter and energy and their interactions)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "snap"):

temper; toughness (the elasticity and hardness of a metal object; its ability to absorb considerable energy before cracking)

elasticity of shear (the elasticity of a body that has been pulled out of shape by a shearing force)

stretch; stretchability; stretchiness (the capacity for being stretched)

give; spring; springiness (the elasticity of something that can be stretched and returns to its original length)

bounce; bounciness (the quality of a substance that is able to rebound)

resilience; resiliency (the physical property of a material that can return to its original shape or position after deformation that does not exceed its elastic limit)


Sense 9

Meaning:

An informal photograph; usually made with a small hand-held camera

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Synonyms:

shot; snap; snapshot

Context example:

he tried to get unposed shots of his friends

Hypernyms ("snap" is a kind of...):

exposure; photo; photograph; pic; picture (a representation of a person or scene in the form of a print or transparent slide or in digital format)

Derivation:

snap (record on photographic film)


Sense 10

Meaning:

A fastener used on clothing; fastens with a snapping sound

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Synonyms:

press stud; snap; snap fastener

Context example:

children can manage snaps better than buttons

Hypernyms ("snap" is a kind of...):

fastener; fastening; fixing; holdfast (restraint that attaches to something or holds something in place)


Sense 11

Meaning:

Any undertaking that is easy to do

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Synonyms:

breeze; child's play; cinch; duck soup; picnic; piece of cake; pushover; snap; walkover

Context example:

marketing this product will be no picnic

Hypernyms ("snap" is a kind of...):

labor; project; task; undertaking (any piece of work that is undertaken or attempted)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "snap"):

doddle (an easy task)


Sense 12

Meaning:

The act of snapping the fingers; movement of a finger from the tip to the base of the thumb on the same hand

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Context example:

he gave his fingers a snap

Hypernyms ("snap" is a kind of...):

motility; motion; move; movement (a change of position that does not entail a change of location)

Derivation:

snap (cause to make a snapping sound)

snap (make a sharp sound)

snappy (pleasantly cold and invigorating)


Sense 13

Meaning:

(American football) putting the ball in play by passing it (between the legs) to a back

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Synonyms:

centering; snap

Context example:

the quarterback fumbled the snap

Hypernyms ("snap" is a kind of...):

flip; pass; toss ((sports) the act of throwing the ball to another member of your team)

Domain category:

American football; American football game (a game played by two teams of 11 players on a rectangular field 100 yards long; teams try to get possession of the ball and advance it across the opponents goal line in a series of (running or passing) plays)

Derivation:

snap (put in play with a snap)


SNAP (verb)

 Conjugation: 
Present simple: I / you / we / they snap  Listen to US pronunciation  Listen to GB pronunciation ... he / she / it snaps  Listen to US pronunciation  Listen to GB pronunciation
Past simple: snapped  Listen to US pronunciation  Listen to GB pronunciation
Past participle: snapped  Listen to US pronunciation  Listen to GB pronunciation
-ing form: snapping  Listen to US pronunciation  Listen to GB pronunciation


Sense 1

Meaning:

Utter in an angry, sharp, or abrupt tone

Classified under:

Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing

Synonyms:

snap; snarl

Context example:

The guard snarled at us

Hypernyms (to "snap" is one way to...):

mouth; speak; talk; utter; verbalise; verbalize (express in speech)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s
Somebody ----s PP
Somebody ----s that CLAUSE

Sentence example:

They snap that there was a traffic accident


Sense 2

Meaning:

Separate or cause to separate abruptly

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Synonyms:

bust; rupture; snap; tear

Context example:

tear the paper

Hypernyms (to "snap" is one way to...):

disunite; divide; part; separate (force, take, or pull apart)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "snap"):

lacerate (cut or tear irregularly)

pull; rend; rip; rive (tear or be torn violently)

rip up; shred; tear up (tear into shreds)

Sentence frames:

Something ----s
Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something

Sentence examples:

The ropes snap
The strong winds snap the rope

Derivation:

snap (a sudden breaking)


Sense 3

Meaning:

Break suddenly and abruptly, as under tension

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Synonyms:

crack; snap

Context example:

The pipe snapped

Hypernyms (to "snap" is one way to...):

break; come apart; fall apart; separate; split up (become separated into pieces or fragments)

Sentence frames:

Something ----s
Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something

Derivation:

snap (a sudden breaking)


Sense 4

Meaning:

Move or strike with a noise

Classified under:

Verbs of walking, flying, swimming

Synonyms:

click; snap

Context example:

his arm was snapped forward

Hypernyms (to "snap" is one way to...):

move (move so as to change position, perform a nontranslational motion)

Sentence frames:

Something ----s
Somebody ----s something

Derivation:

snap (a sudden sharp noise)


Sense 5

Meaning:

Close with a snapping motion

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Context example:

The lock snapped shut

Hypernyms (to "snap" is one way to...):

close; shut (move so that an opening or passage is obstructed; make shut)

Sentence frame:

Something ----s

Derivation:

snap (a sudden sharp noise)


Sense 6

Meaning:

Make a sharp sound

Classified under:

Verbs of seeing, hearing, feeling

Synonyms:

crack; snap

Context example:

his fingers snapped

Hypernyms (to "snap" is one way to...):

go; sound (make a certain noise or sound)

Sentence frames:

Something ----s
Somebody ----s something

Derivation:

snap (the act of snapping the fingers; movement of a finger from the tip to the base of the thumb on the same hand)

snap (the noise produced by the rapid movement of a finger from the tip to the base of the thumb on the same hand)


Sense 7

Meaning:

Move with a snapping sound

Classified under:

Verbs of walking, flying, swimming

Context example:

bullets snapped past us

Hypernyms (to "snap" is one way to...):

move (move so as to change position, perform a nontranslational motion)

Sentence frame:

Something is ----ing PP

Derivation:

snap (a sudden sharp noise)


Sense 8

Meaning:

To grasp hastily or eagerly

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Synonyms:

snap; snatch; snatch up

Context example:

Before I could stop him the dog snatched the ham bone

Hypernyms (to "snap" is one way to...):

clutch; prehend; seize (take hold of; grab)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "snap"):

swoop; swoop up (seize or catch with a swooping motion)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody

Also:

snap up (get hold of or seize quickly and easily)

Derivation:

snap (the act of catching an object with the hands)


Sense 9

Meaning:

Put in play with a snap

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Context example:

snap a football

Hypernyms (to "snap" is one way to...):

hit (cause to move by striking)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Derivation:

snap ((American football) putting the ball in play by passing it (between the legs) to a back)

snapper ((football) the person who plays center on the line of scrimmage and snaps the ball to the quarterback)


Sense 10

Meaning:

Cause to make a snapping sound

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Synonyms:

click; flick; snap

Context example:

snap your fingers

Hypernyms (to "snap" is one way to...):

move (move so as to change position, perform a nontranslational motion)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Derivation:

snap (the act of snapping the fingers; movement of a finger from the tip to the base of the thumb on the same hand)

snap (the noise produced by the rapid movement of a finger from the tip to the base of the thumb on the same hand)

snapper (a party favor consisting of a paper roll (usually containing candy or a small favor) that pops when pulled at both ends)


Sense 11

Meaning:

Lose control of one's emotions

Classified under:

Verbs of feeling

Synonyms:

break down; lose it; snap

Context example:

When her baby died, she snapped

Hypernyms (to "snap" is one way to...):

act; behave; do (behave in a certain manner; show a certain behavior; conduct or comport oneself)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "snap"):

dissolve (lose control emotionally)

die (be brought to or as if to the point of death by an intense emotion such as embarrassment, amusement, or shame)

fall apart; go to pieces (lose one's emotional or mental composure)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s


Sense 12

Meaning:

Bring the jaws together

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Context example:

he snapped indignantly

Hypernyms (to "snap" is one way to...):

bite; seize with teeth (to grip, cut off, or tear with or as if with the teeth or jaws)

Sentence frames:

Something ----s
Somebody ----s


Sense 13

Meaning:

Record on photographic film

Classified under:

Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing

Synonyms:

photograph; shoot; snap

Context example:

She snapped a picture of the President

Hypernyms (to "snap" is one way to...):

enter; put down; record (make a record of; set down in permanent form)

Verb group:

film; shoot; take (make a film or photograph of something)

Domain category:

photography; picture taking (the act of taking and printing photographs)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "snap"):

retake (photograph again)

x-ray (take an x-ray of something or somebody)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s
Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody

Derivation:

snap (an informal photograph; usually made with a small hand-held camera)


 Context examples 


His progress was marked by snarl and snap and growl.

(White Fang, by Jack London)

Could I not snap the bond?

(The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

If they say, 'Charley, come, let us start for hell,' I will harness the dogs, and snap the whip, and start for hell.

(Love of Life and Other Stories, by Jack London)

The turmoil within my brain was such that something must surely snap.

(His Last Bow, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

“Doctor, I'm no coward; no, not I—not SO much!” and he snapped his fingers.

(Treasure Island, by Robert Louis Stevenson)

Presently he closed the catch of his bag with a snap, and said:—I have been thinking, and have made up my mind as to what is best.

(Dracula, by Bram Stoker)

His muscles were surcharged with vitality, and snapped into play sharply, like steel springs.

(The Call of the Wild, by Jack London)

They were capable of snapping a man off like a fly from a whip-lash.

(The Sea-Wolf, by Jack London)

The policeman snapped up his notebook.

(The Lost World, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

If that be snapped I know not what would follow.

(The White Company, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)



 Learn English with... Proverbs 
"No pain, no injury." (English proverb)

"Those who lost dreaming are lost." (Aboriginal Australian proverbs)

"The sky does not rain gold or silver." (Arabic proverb)

"Nothing is blacker than the pan." (Corsican proverb)



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