Meaning & use
snag clothing
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Meanings
verbtransitive or intransitive
To catch a piece of clothing on something sharp so that a thread is pulled and a small tear or loop appears.
Grammar: Can take an object ('I snagged my sweater') or stand alone with 'on' ('It snagged on a nail').
Patterns
- snag something on something
- snag something
- get snagged on something
She snagged her tights on the corner of the desk.
My jacket snagged on a loose nail as I walked past the fence.
Be careful not to snag that silk blouse on your watch.
nouncountable
A small tear or pulled thread in fabric, especially in tights, stockings, or fine knitwear.
Grammar: Countable: you can have one snag or several snags; often used with 'in'.
Patterns
- a snag in something
- get a snag in something
There's a snag in my tights just above the knee.
She noticed a snag in the sleeve of her new dress.
A tiny snag in the fabric can grow into a hole if you pull it.
Word forms
| third person singular | snags |
|---|---|
| past tense | snagged |
| past participle | snagged |
| -ing form | snagging |
| plural (noun) | snags |
Common combinations
- snag your tights
- I always snag my tights on the office chair.
- snag on a nail
- The curtain snagged on a nail by the window.
- a snag in the fabric
- There was a snag in the fabric near the hem.
- get snagged
- His sweater got snagged on the door handle.
- pull a snag
- Don't pull a snag, or the whole thread will run.
Synonyms and how they differ
- tear
- Use 'tear' for a bigger rip where the fabric is actually split, not just a pulled thread.
- rip
- 'Rip' suggests a rougher, larger split made by force; a snag is usually small and caused by catching on something.
- ladder
- In British English a 'ladder' is a long run in tights or stockings; a snag is the small starting point.
Word family
Commonly confused: snag clothing or snag? snag clothing or snap?
snag clothing vs snag
As a general noun, 'snag' also means a small problem or difficulty ('a snag in our plans'); only in clothing does it mean a tear.
snag clothing vs snap
'Snap' means to break suddenly with a sharp sound; 'snag' means to catch and pull a thread.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'snag' correctly about clothing?
Choose one answer.
'Snag' means to catch fabric on something sharp, so 'on the sharp edge of the gate' fits. The other options use the wrong meaning or pattern: you wouldn't snag a coat 'to' a place, because of its size, or with an iron.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “snag clothing”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.