Snap — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

verb noun adverb adjective /ˈsnap/

Meaning & Definition of Snap

Snap (verb)

  1. to make a sudden closing of the jaws, seize something sharply with the mouth
  2. to grasp at something eagerly, make a pounce or snatch
  3. to utter sharp biting words, bark out irritable or peevish retorts

Snap (noun)

  1. an abrupt closing (as of the mouth in biting)
  2. something that is easy and presents no problems, cinch
  3. a share of profits or booty

Snap (adverb)

  1. with a snap

Snap (adjective)

  1. done, made, or carried through suddenly or without deliberation
  2. called or taken without prior warning
  3. fastening with a snap

Snap (verb) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. to speak sharply or irritably

    "the shopkeeper finally snapped at one customer who couldn't seem to make up his mind"

    similar: bark, snarl
    related: growl, grumble, roar, scream, shout, shriek, yell, fulminate, rage, rant, rave, sputter, storm, tee off, vent, vituperate, blow up, explode, flare (up), flip (out) (slang)
    near: calm (down), simmer down

  2. to break suddenly with an explosive sound

    "the fragile twig snapped in her hands"

    similar: crack, pop
    related: rend, rive, split, crackle, hiss, sizzle, sputter, burst, explode, shatter, clack, clatter, click

  3. to take a photograph of

    "be sure to snap everything you see on your vacation, and then you can show us"

    similar: mug, photo, photograph, shoot
    related: image, picture, rephotograph, retake, film, videotape

  4. to pass from one form, state, or level to another

    "she abruptly snapped alert"

    similar: change, fluctuate, mutate, shift, vary
    related: metamorphose, morph, transmute, better, improve, deteriorate, worsen, turn around, seesaw, teeter, vacillate, waver
    opposite: plateau, stabilize

Snap (noun) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. a loud explosive sound

    "the plastic coat hook broke off with a loud snap when he tried to hang the heavy bag on it"

    similar: bang, blast, boom, clap, crack, crash, pop, report, slam, smash, thunderclap, thwack, whack, whomp, whump
    related: thunk, wham, clang, clangor, clank, clash, knock, rap, tap, blare, clamor, howl, hubbub, hue and cry, hullabaloo, outcry, roar, tumult, uproar

  2. a picture created from an image recorded on a light-sensitive surface by a camera

    "took several snaps of his family for the scrapbook"

    similar: photo, photograph, pic, print, shot, snapshot
    related: blowup, close-up, enlargement, still, telephoto, daguerreotype, ferrotype, monochrome, sepia, tintype

  3. active strength of body or mind

    "the team is showing a lot of snap tonight"

    similar: beans, bounce, brio, dash, drive, dynamism, energy, esprit, gas, get-up-and-go, ginger, go, gusto, hardihood, juice, life, moxie, oomph, pep, punch, sap, starch, verve, vigor, vim, vinegar, vitality, zing, zip
    related: animal spirits, animation, briskness, jauntiness, liveliness, snappiness, spirit, spiritedness, sprightliness, spunk, spunkiness, vibrance, vibrancy, vivaciousness, vivacity, ardor, élan, fervor, fire, passion, zeal, main, metal, mettle, might, muscle, potency, power, puissance, stamina, strength, brawniness, fitness, hardiness, huskiness, sturdiness, virility, health, healthiness, soundness, verdure, wellness
    opposite: lethargy, listlessness, sluggishness, torpidity
    near: indolence, laziness, debilitation, debility, delicacy, disablement, enfeeblement, faintness, feebleness, frailness, frailty, impotence, impotency, infirmity, powerlessness, puniness, slightness, softness, tenderness, weakness, enervation, exhaustion, inanition, prostration

  4. a weather condition marked by low temperatures

    "a prolonged cold snap"

    similar: cold, cold wave, deep freeze, freeze
    related: cold front, frost, bite, chill, chilliness, chillness, coldness, frigidness, nip, wintriness
    opposite: heat, heat wave
    near: dog days, torridity, torridness

  5. a very small amount

    "I don't care a snap about gossip"

    similar: ace, bit, crumb, dab, dram, driblet, glimmer, hint, lick, little, mite, nip, ounce, particle, peanuts, ray, scintilla, scruple, shade, shadow, shred, skosh, smack, smell, smidgen, soupçon, spark, spatter, speck, splash, spot, sprinkling, strain, streak, suspicion, tad, touch, trace, drop in the bucket
    related: hoot, iota, jot, minim, minimum, modicum, semblance, syllable, tittle, vestige, whit, atom, dot, fleck, flyspeck, grain, granule, molecule, morsel, mote, nubbin, patch, scrap, dash, drop, pinch, part, portion, section, bite, nibble, taste, handful, scattering, smatter, smattering, dose, shot, chip, flake, fragment, shard, shiver, sliver, smithereens, splinter, tatter, clipping, paring, shaving
    near: abundance, barrel, boatload, bucket, bundle, bushel, deal, fistful, gobs, heaps, lashings (chiefly British), loads, lot, mass, mess, mountain, much, oodles, passel, peck, pile, plenty, potful, profusion, quantity, raft, reams, scads, stack, wad, wealth, volume, bonanza, embarrassment, excess, overabundance, overage, overflow, overkill, overmuch, oversupply, superabundance, superfluity, surfeit, surplus, chunk, hunk, lump, slab

  6. something that is easy to do

    "this test will be a snap"

    similar: breeze, cake, cakewalk, child's play, cinch, cream puff, duck soup, kid stuff, picnic, pushover, roses, piece of cake, walk in the park
    related: no-brainer, nothing, sitting duck, gimme, laugher, walkaway
    opposite: bear, beast, chore, headache, horror show, killer, labor, murder, pain, sticky wicket, stinker (slang)
    near: brainteaser, poser, stumper, toughie, bother, nuisance, trouble

Snap (adjective) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. involving minimal difficulty or effort

    "a snap course that even an idiot could pass"

    similar: cheap, downhill, easy, effortless, facile, fluent, fluid, hands-down, light, painless, ready, royal, simple, smooth, soft
    related: idiotproof, mindless, quick, straightforward, unchallenging, uncomplicated, apparent, clear, clear-cut, distinct, evident, manifest, obvious, open-and-shut, palpable, patent, perspicuous, plain, transparent, unambiguous, unequivocal, unmistakable
    opposite: arduous, demanding, difficult, exacting, formidable, grueling, hard, herculean, killer, labored, laborious, murderous, rough, severe, stiff, strenuous, toilful, toilsome, tough
    near: burdensome, exhausting, onerous, oppressive, painful, stressful, taxing, troublesome, abstruse, complex, complicated, intricate, involved, knotty, problematic, recondite

  2. made or done without previous thought or preparation

    "made a snap decision"

    similar: ad hoc, ad-lib, down and dirty, extemporaneous, extemporary, extempore, impromptu, improvisational, improvised, off-the-cuff, offhand, offhanded, spur-of-the-moment, unconsidered, unplanned, unpremeditated, unprepared, unrehearsed, unstudied
    related: unscripted, automatic, impulsive, instinctive, involuntary, spontaneous, casual, cursive, informal, unauthorized, half-baked, half-cocked, ill-advised
    opposite: considered, planned, premeditated, premeditative, prepared, rehearsed
    near: deliberate, intended, intentional

Related Entry: Snap (up) (verb)

Snap (up) is a different word from Snap. The synonyms below are for snap (up), not for snap.

  1. to take physical control or possession of (something) suddenly or forcibly

    "I snapped up the last remaining cupcake before anyone else could get their mitts on it"

    similar: bag, capture, catch, collar, cop (slang), corral, get, glom, grab, grapple, hook, land, nab, nail, net, nobble (British slang), rap, seize, snag, snare, snatch, trap, take hold (of)
    related: glove, halter, lasso, rope, apprehend, arrest, detain, bay, corner, clasp, clutch, fasten (on), fist, grasp, grip, hold, latch (on or onto), secure, rend, wrest, enmesh, ensnare, entangle, entrap, mesh, abduct, kidnap, spirit (away or off)
    opposite: miss
    near: discharge, free, liberate, release, drop, loosen, unhand

Related Entry: Snap back (verb)

Snap back is a different word from Snap. The synonyms below are for snap back, not for snap.

  1. to become healthy and strong again after illness or weakness

    "teenagers will often snap back remarkably quickly"

    similar: come back, convalesce, gain, heal, mend, pull round (chiefly British), rally, recoup, recover, recuperate
    related: come around, come round, come to, improve, pick up, revive, cheer (up), perk (up), pull through, survive, recruit
    near: ail, collapse, come down, sicken, decline, degenerate, deteriorate, fade, fail, languish, sink, waste (away), weaken, wilt, wither, worsen, regress, relapse

  2. to regain a former or normal state

    "analysts hoped that the economy would snap back over the next few months"

    similar: bounce (back), come back, rally, rebound, recover, make a comeback
    related: reanimate, revitalize, revive
    near: decline, fail, worsen

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Snap

The most common words with a similar meaning to Snap:

bark, snarl, crack, pop, mug, photo, photograph, shoot, change, fluctuate, mutate, shift, vary, bang, blast, boom, clap, crash, report, slam, smash, thunderclap, thwack, whack, whomp, whump, pic, print, shot, snapshot, beans, bounce, brio, dash, drive, dynamism, energy, esprit, gas, get-up-and-go

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Snap

Words with the opposite meaning of Snap:

plateau, stabilize, lethargy, listlessness, sluggishness, torpidity, heat, heat wave, bear, beast, chore, headache, horror show, killer, labor, murder, pain, sticky wicket, stinker, arduous, demanding, difficult, exacting, formidable, grueling, hard, herculean, labored, laborious, murderous

Related Words for Snap

growl, grumble, roar, scream, shout, shriek, yell, fulminate, rage, rant, rave, sputter, storm, tee off, vent, vituperate, blow up, explode, flare (up), flip (out), rend, rive, split, crackle, hiss, sizzle, burst, shatter, clack, clatter

Near Antonyms of Snap

calm (down), simmer down, indolence, laziness, debilitation, debility, delicacy, disablement, enfeeblement, faintness, feebleness, frailness, frailty, impotence, impotency, infirmity, powerlessness, puniness, slightness, softness, tenderness, weakness, enervation, exhaustion, inanition, prostration, dog days, torridity, torridness, abundance

Word Forms of Snap

Inflections: snapped, snapping

Origin & Etymology of Snap

Dutch or Low German snappen; akin to Middle High German snappen to snap

First known use: 1530i

Vocabulary Lists & Topics for Snap

Words & Phrases Containing Snap

snap back, snap bean, snap-brim, snap-on, snap pea, snap roll

Frequently Asked Questions about Snap

What does "Snap" mean?

"Snap" means to make a sudden closing of the jaws, seize something sharply with the mouth. As an a verb, a noun, an adverb and an adjective, it is defined as: to make a sudden closing of the jaws, seize something sharply with the mouth. It has 12 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Snap"?

Other words for "Snap" include bark, snarl, crack, pop, mug, photo, photograph and shoot. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Snap" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Snap"?

There are 365 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Snap". Common alternatives include bark, snarl, crack, pop, mug, photo, photograph, shoot, change and fluctuate.

What is the opposite of "Snap"?

Antonyms of "Snap" include plateau, stabilize, lethargy, listlessness, sluggishness, torpidity, heat and heat wave. Near antonyms include calm (down), simmer down, indolence and laziness.

How do you use "Snap" in a sentence?

Examples of "Snap" in a sentence: "the shopkeeper finally snapped at one customer who couldn't seem to make up his mind"; "the fragile twig snapped in her hands"; "be sure to snap everything you see on your vacation, and then you can show us".

Is "Snap" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Snap" can be used as a verb, a noun, an adverb and an adjective, depending on the context.

Is "Snap" useful for IELTS, TOEFL, and other English exams?

As a C1-level word, "Snap" is typical of Cambridge C1 Advanced (CAE), IELTS band 7.0–8.0, TOEFL iBT 95–113, PTE Academic 76–84, TOEIC Listening & Reading 945+. Advanced words like this are also useful for the GRE, SAT, GMAT, and LSAT.

How do you pronounce "Snap"?

"Snap" is pronounced /ˈsnap/.