Meaning & use

snatch

verb·Everyday

To seize or grab something suddenly and quickly, often without permission.

See it in a sentence

A seagull swooped down and snatched the sandwich right out of her hand.

He snatched a few minutes of sleep between meetings during the busy conference.

A note on using this word

Snatch often implies suddenness or slight aggression compared with the neutral 'take,' and can also describe grabbing a rare, brief opportunity, as in 'snatch some sleep.'

Words with a similar meaning

grabseizegrasp

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

Words with an opposite meaning

Make it your own

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