Meaning & use
fasten snaps
Last updated
Meaning
phrasetransitive
to close a piece of clothing using small fasteners that press together.
Grammar: Takes an object: fasten the snaps on a baby's vest. You can also say 'fasten the snaps' without mentioning the clothing if it is clear.
Patterns
- fasten the snaps
- fasten the snaps on something
- fasten a snap
She fastened the snaps on her baby's onesie.
He struggled to fasten the snaps on his new jacket.
Make sure you fasten all the snaps before you go outside.
Word forms
| third person singular | fastens snaps |
|---|---|
| past tense | fastened snaps |
| past participle | fastened snaps |
| -ing form | fastening snaps |
Common combinations
- fasten the snaps on a jacket
- He fastened the snaps on his jacket before stepping into the cold.
- fasten the snaps on a diaper
- The mother quickly fastened the snaps on the diaper.
- snaps come undone
- The snaps on my shirt keep coming undone.
Synonyms and how they differ
- button up
- Use 'button up' when the fasteners are buttons, not snaps; 'fasten snaps' is only for press-together fasteners.
- do up
- 'Do up' is a British informal way to say close a piece of clothing, and it can refer to buttons, snaps, or a zipper.
Opposites
Commonly confused: fasten snaps or snap?
fasten snaps vs snap
As a verb, 'snap' can mean to break suddenly or to make a sharp sound; 'fasten snaps' uses 'snap' as a noun for the fastener itself.
Practice
What does 'fasten snaps' mean?
Choose one answer.
'Fasten snaps' means to close clothing using snaps (press-together fasteners). 'Snap' can also mean to break or to take a photo, but those meanings do not fit with 'fasten' in this phrase.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “fasten snaps”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.