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ENGLISH · A WORD WITH POSSIBILITIES

snap.

A quick breaking or cracking sound or the action of producing such a sound.

4 characters1 syllables approx.English language

Meaning & usage

noun/snæp/
  1. A quick breaking or cracking sound or the action of producing such a sound.

    countable · uncountable
  2. A sudden break.

    countable · uncountable
  3. An attempt to seize, bite, attack, or grab.

    countable · uncountable
  4. The act of snapping the fingers; making a sound by pressing a finger against the thumb and suddenly releasing to strike the hand.

    countable · uncountable
  5. A fastening device that makes a snapping sound when used.

    countable · uncountable
  6. A photograph; a snapshot.

    countable · informal · uncountable
    We took a few snaps of the old church before moving on.
  7. The sudden release of something held under pressure or tension.

    countable · uncountable
  8. A thin circular cookie or similar baked good.

    countable · uncountable
    a ginger snap
  9. A brief, sudden period of a certain weather; used primarily in the phrase cold snap.

    countable · uncountable
  10. A very short period of time (figuratively, the time taken to snap one's fingers), or a task that can be accomplished in such a period.

    countable · uncountable
    It'll be a snap to get that finished.
    I can fix most vacuum cleaners in a snap.
  11. A snap bean such as Phaseolus vulgaris.

    countable · uncountable
  12. A backward pass or handoff of a football from its position on the ground that puts the ball in play; a hike.

    countable · uncountable
  13. A rivet: a scrapbooking embellishment.

    colloquial · countable · uncountable
  14. A small device resembling a safety pin, used to attach the bait or lure to the line.

    countable · uncountable
  15. A small meal, a snack; lunch.

    UK · countable · regional · uncountable
  16. A card game, primarily for children, in which players cry "snap" to claim pairs of matching cards as they are turned up.

    uncountable
  17. A greedy fellow.

    countable · obsolete · uncountable
  18. That which is, or may be, snapped up; something bitten off, seized, or obtained by a single quick movement; hence, a bite, morsel, or fragment; a scrap.

    countable · uncountable
  19. Briskness; vigour; energy; decision.

    countable · uncountable
  20. Any circumstance out of which money may be made or an advantage gained. used primarily in the phrase soft snap.

    archaic · countable · slang · uncountable
  21. Something that is easy or effortless.

    countable · slang · uncountable
  22. A snapper, or snap beetle.

    countable · uncountable
  23. jounce (the fourth derivative of the position vector with respect to time), followed by crackle and pop

    countable · humorous · uncountable
  24. A quick offhand shot with a firearm; a snap shot.

    countable · uncountable
  25. Something of no value.

    colloquial · countable · uncountable
    not worth a snap
  26. Alternative letter-case form of Snap. A visual message sent through the Snapchat application.

    countable · uncountable
  27. Alternative letter-case form of Snap. Clipping of Snapchat (“user account on Snapchat”).

    abbreviation · alt-of · clipping · colloquial · countable · uncountable
  28. A package provided for the application sandboxing system snapd developed by Canonical.

    countable · uncountable
  29. A crisp or pithy quality; epigrammatic point or force.

    uncountable
  30. A tool used by riveters.

    countable · uncountable
  31. A tool used by glass-moulders.

    countable · uncountable
  32. A brief theatrical engagement.

    countable · dated · slang · uncountable
  33. A cheat or sharper.

    countable · dated · slang · uncountable
  34. A newsflash.

    countable · uncountable
  35. An insult of the kind used in the African-American verbal game of the dozens.

    countable · slang · uncountable
  36. A subgenre of hip-hop music derived from crunk.

    uncountable
Where this word comes from

Etymology tree Middle Dutch snappen Dutch snappenbor. Low German snappenbor. English snap From Dutch snappen (“to bite; seize”) or Low German snappen (“to bite; seize”), ultimately from Proto-West Germanic *snappōn, from Proto-Germanic *snappōną (“to snap; snatch; chatter”), intensive form of *snapāną (”to snap; grab”, whence Old Norse snapa (“to get; scrounge”)), from Proto-Indo-European *snop-; compare Lithuanian snãpas (“beak, bill”). (One alternative hypothesis links the Germanic words to *snu-, an expressive root deriving words meaning “nose”, “snout”, “sniff” etc., but this is phonetically unsound.) In any case influenced by onomatopoeia; note expressions such as snip-snap, containing the formally unrelated snip. Cognate with West Frisian snappe (“to get; catch; snap”), German schnappen (“to grab”), Swedish snappa (“to snatch”). The verb is derived from the noun.

verb/snæp/
  1. To fracture or break apart suddenly.

    intransitive · transitive
    He snapped his stick in anger.
    If you bend it too much, it will snap.
  2. To give forth or produce a sharp cracking noise; to crack.

    intransitive
    Blazing firewood snaps.
  3. To attempt to seize or bite with the teeth, beak, etc.

    intransitive
    A dog snaps at a passenger. A fish snaps at the bait.
  4. To attempt to seize with eagerness.

    intransitive
    She snapped at the chance to appear on television.
  5. To speak abruptly or sharply.

    intransitive
    He snapped at me for the slightest mistake.
  6. To give way abruptly and loudly.

    intransitive
  7. To suffer a mental breakdown, usually while under tension.

    intransitive
    She should take a break before she snaps.
  8. To flash or appear to flash as with light.

    intransitive
  9. To fit or fasten together with a snapping sound.

    intransitive
  10. To jump to a fixed position relative to another element.

    intransitive
    The floating toolbar will snap to the edge of the screen when dragged towards it.
  11. To snatch with or as if with the teeth.

    transitive
  12. To pull apart with a snapping sound; to pop loose.

    transitive
  13. To say abruptly or sharply.

    transitive
  14. To speak to abruptly or sharply; to treat snappishly; usually with up.

    dated · transitive
  15. To cause something to emit a snapping sound, especially by closing it rapidly.

    transitive
    to snap a fastener
    to snap a whip
  16. To close something using a snap as a fastener.

    transitive
  17. To snap one's fingers: to make a snapping sound, often by pressing the thumb and an opposing finger of the same hand together and suddenly releasing the grip so that the finger hits against the palm; alternatively, by bringing the index finger quickly down onto the middle finger and thumb.

    transitive
  18. To cause to move suddenly and smartly.

    transitive
  19. To move or shift suddenly.

    intransitive
    The soldiers snapped to attention as the colonel entered the room.
  20. To take a photograph; to release a camera's shutter (which may make a snapping sound).

    transitive
    He snapped a picture of me with my mouth open and my eyes closed.
  21. Alternative letter-case form of Snap (“to send a visual message through the Snapchat application”).

    alt-of · ditransitive
  22. To put (a football) in play by a backward pass or handoff from its position on the ground; to hike (a football).

    transitive
    He can snap the ball to a back twenty yards behind him.
  23. To misfire.

    intransitive
    The gun snapped.
  24. To catch out sharply (a batsman who has just snicked a bowled ball).

    transitive
Where this word comes from

Etymology tree Middle Dutch snappen Dutch snappenbor. Low German snappenbor. English snap From Dutch snappen (“to bite; seize”) or Low German snappen (“to bite; seize”), ultimately from Proto-West Germanic *snappōn, from Proto-Germanic *snappōną (“to snap; snatch; chatter”), intensive form of *snapāną (”to snap; grab”, whence Old Norse snapa (“to get; scrounge”)), from Proto-Indo-European *snop-; compare Lithuanian snãpas (“beak, bill”). (One alternative hypothesis links the Germanic words to *snu-, an expressive root deriving words meaning “nose”, “snout”, “sniff” etc., but this is phonetically unsound.) In any case influenced by onomatopoeia; note expressions such as snip-snap, containing the formally unrelated snip. Cognate with West Frisian snappe (“to get; catch; snap”), German schnappen (“to grab”), Swedish snappa (“to snatch”). The verb is derived from the noun.

intj/snæp/
  1. The cry used in a game of snap when winning a hand.

  2. "I've got one the same!", "Me too!"

    Australia · UK · broadly
    Snap! We've both got pink buckets and spades.
  3. Used to express agreement.

    UK · broadly
  4. Used in place of an expletive to express surprise, usually in response to a negative statement or news; often used facetiously.

    Canada · US
    I just ran over your phone with my car. —Oh, snap!
  5. Used after something is said by two people at exactly the same time.

    Australia · New-Zealand · UK
    —Wasn't that John? —Wasn't that John? —Snap!
Where this word comes from

Etymology tree Middle Dutch snappen Dutch snappenbor. Low German snappenbor. English snap From Dutch snappen (“to bite; seize”) or Low German snappen (“to bite; seize”), ultimately from Proto-West Germanic *snappōn, from Proto-Germanic *snappōną (“to snap; snatch; chatter”), intensive form of *snapāną (”to snap; grab”, whence Old Norse snapa (“to get; scrounge”)), from Proto-Indo-European *snop-; compare Lithuanian snãpas (“beak, bill”). (One alternative hypothesis links the Germanic words to *snu-, an expressive root deriving words meaning “nose”, “snout”, “sniff” etc., but this is phonetically unsound.) In any case influenced by onomatopoeia; note expressions such as snip-snap, containing the formally unrelated snip. Cognate with West Frisian snappe (“to get; catch; snap”), German schnappen (“to grab”), Swedish snappa (“to snatch”). The verb is derived from the noun.

adj/snæp/
  1. Done, made, performed, etc., quickly and unexpectedly, or without deliberation.

    attributive · informal · not-comparable
    a snap judgment or decision
    a snap political convention
Where this word comes from

Etymology tree Middle Dutch snappen Dutch snappenbor. Low German snappenbor. English snap From Dutch snappen (“to bite; seize”) or Low German snappen (“to bite; seize”), ultimately from Proto-West Germanic *snappōn, from Proto-Germanic *snappōną (“to snap; snatch; chatter”), intensive form of *snapāną (”to snap; grab”, whence Old Norse snapa (“to get; scrounge”)), from Proto-Indo-European *snop-; compare Lithuanian snãpas (“beak, bill”). (One alternative hypothesis links the Germanic words to *snu-, an expressive root deriving words meaning “nose”, “snout”, “sniff” etc., but this is phonetically unsound.) In any case influenced by onomatopoeia; note expressions such as snip-snap, containing the formally unrelated snip. Cognate with West Frisian snappe (“to get; catch; snap”), German schnappen (“to grab”), Swedish snappa (“to snatch”). The verb is derived from the noun.

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Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.

Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.