SNATCH

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does snatch mean? 

• SNATCH (noun)
  The noun SNATCH has 5 senses:

1. a small fragment

2. obscene terms for female genitals

3. (law) the unlawful act of capturing and carrying away a person against their will and holding them in false imprisonment

4. a weightlift in which the barbell is lifted overhead in one rapid motion

5. the act of catching an object with the hands

  Familiarity information: SNATCH used as a noun is common.

• SNATCH (verb)
  The verb SNATCH has 3 senses:

1. to grasp hastily or eagerly

2. to make grasping motions

3. take away to an undisclosed location against their will and usually in order to extract a ransom

  Familiarity information: SNATCH used as a verb is uncommon.

 Dictionary entry details 

• SNATCH (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A small fragment

Classified under:

Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents

Synonyms:

bit; snatch

Context example:

overheard snatches of their conversation

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

fragment (an incomplete piece)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Obscene terms for female genitals

Classified under:

Nouns denoting body parts

Synonyms:

cunt; puss; pussy; slit; snatch; twat

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

fanny; female genital organ; female genitalia; female genitals (external female sex organs)

Sense 3

Meaning:

(law) the unlawful act of capturing and carrying away a person against their will and holding them in false imprisonment

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Synonyms:

kidnapping; snatch

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

capture; seizure (the act of taking of a person by force)

Domain category:

jurisprudence; law (the collection of rules imposed by authority)

Derivation:

snatch (take away to an undisclosed location against their will and usually in order to extract a ransom)

Sense 4

Meaning:

A weightlift in which the barbell is lifted overhead in one rapid motion

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

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

weightlift; weightlifting (bodybuilding by exercise that involves lifting weights)

Sense 5

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 ("snatch" 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 "snatch"):

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)

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)

Derivation:

snatch (to make grasping motions)

snatch (to grasp hastily or eagerly)

• SNATCH (verb)

Present simple: I / you / we / they snatch    ... he / she / it snatches   
Past simple: snatched   
Past participle: snatched   
-ing form: snatching   

Sense 1

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 "snatch" is one way to...):

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

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

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

Sentence frames:

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

Derivation:

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

snatcher (a thief who grabs and runs)

Sense 2

Meaning:

To make grasping motions

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Context example:

the cat snatched at the butterflies

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Derivation:

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

Sense 3

Meaning:

Take away to an undisclosed location against their will and usually in order to extract a ransom

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Synonyms:

abduct; kidnap; nobble; snatch

Context example:

The industrialist's son was kidnapped

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

seize (take or capture by force)

Domain category:

crime; criminal offence; criminal offense; law-breaking ((criminal law) an act punishable by law; usually considered an evil act)

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

impress; shanghai (take (someone) against his will for compulsory service, especially on board a ship)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s somebody

Derivation:

snatch ((law) the unlawful act of capturing and carrying away a person against their will and holding them in false imprisonment)

snatcher (someone who unlawfully seizes and detains a victim (usually for ransom))

 Context examples 

The Premier snatched the blue envelope from his hand.

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

Then you snatch love and innocence from me?

(Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë)

I often glanced at it, for she sat in the window all the time we were at work; and made our breakfast, which we took by snatches as we were employed.

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)

Sir Thomas, however, remained yet a little longer in town, in the hope of discovering and snatching her from farther vice, though all was lost on the side of character.

(Mansfield Park, by Jane Austen)

I snatched it up and examined it.

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

Second mate volunteered to steer and watch, and let men snatch a few hours' sleep.

(Dracula, by Bram Stoker)

Mine I had snatched from my knees and held over my head, by a sort of instinct.

(Treasure Island, by Robert Louis Stevenson)

A fiend had snatched from me every hope of future happiness; no creature had ever been so miserable as I was; so frightful an event is single in the history of man.

(Frankenstein, by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley)

“A little cove snatched it out of my hand.”

(Rodney Stone, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

With shout and jest and snatch of song they streamed from the room, and all was peaceful once more in the “Rose de Guienne.”

(The White Company, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)