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Meaning & use

snapshots

noun·Everyday

Last updated

UK/ˈsnæpʃɒts/
US/ˈsnæpʃɑːts/

“snapshots” is a form of “snapshot”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.

Meanings

  1. nouncountable

    A quick photograph taken without careful preparation, often informal or casual.

    Grammar: Countable; use 'a snapshot' for one, 'snapshots' for more than one.

    Patterns

    • take a snapshot of someone/something
    • a snapshot of something

    She took a snapshot of her friends at the beach.

    The album was full of old snapshots from their childhood.

    He quickly snapped a snapshot before the parade passed.

  2. nouncountablefigurative

    A brief look or summary that gives a quick understanding of a situation.

    Grammar: Often used in phrases like 'a snapshot of the market'.

    Patterns

    • a snapshot of something
    • provide a snapshot of something

    The report gives a snapshot of the company's finances.

    This survey offers a snapshot of public opinion.

    The documentary is a snapshot of life in the 1980s.

  3. nouncountablecomputingtechnical

    In computing, a record of the state of a system or data at a particular moment.

    Grammar: Common in technical contexts; often used with 'create', 'take', or 'restore'.

    Patterns

    • take a snapshot
    • restore a snapshot
    • a snapshot of the system

    The administrator took a snapshot of the server before the update.

    You can restore the database from the latest snapshot.

    Snapshots allow you to revert to an earlier state.

Word forms

singularsnapshot

Common combinations

take a snapshot
She took a snapshot of the sunset.
a snapshot of
The graph provides a snapshot of sales trends.
quick snapshot
He took a quick snapshot with his phone.
snapshot album
They flipped through the snapshot album together.

Synonyms and how they differ

photo
A general word for any photograph; 'snapshot' suggests it was taken quickly and casually.
picture
Broader and can mean a drawing or painting; 'snapshot' is specifically a photograph.
image
More formal and often used for digital or printed visual representations; 'snapshot' is more informal.

Word family

snap verb
To take a photograph quickly.
snapper noun
Informal for a photographer.

Commonly confused: snapshots or screenshot?

snapshots vs screenshot

A screenshot is an image of what is on a screen; a snapshot is a quick photograph or a saved state.

Practice

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