Meaning & use

snarl

verb·Everyday

To growl angrily while baring the teeth, or to speak in a fierce, hostile way.

See it in a sentence

The dog snarled at the stranger who approached the gate.

He snarled at the reporters before pushing past the cameras.

A note on using this word

Also used as a noun for a tangled mess, as in 'a snarl of traffic' or 'a snarl of wires,' a separate meaning unrelated to anger.

Words with a similar meaning

growlbark

Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.

Another way to use it

2. noun

A tangled, confused mass or situation, such as heavy traffic.

An overturned truck caused a snarl of traffic that lasted for hours.

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