snap

plural snaps

1. countableuncountableA quick breaking or cracking sound or the action of producing such a sound.
2. countableuncountableA sudden break.
3. countableuncountableAn attempt to seize, bite, attack, or grab.
4. countableuncountableThe act of snapping the fingers; making a sound by pressing a finger against the thumb and suddenly releasing to strike the hand.
5. countableuncountableA fastening device that makes a snapping sound when used.
6. countableinformaluncountableA photograph; a snapshot.

   We took a few snaps of the old church before moving on.

7. countableuncountableThe sudden release of something held under pressure or tension.
8. countableuncountableA thin circular cookie or similar baked good.

   a ginger snap

9. countableuncountableA brief, sudden period of a certain weather; used primarily in the phrase cold snap.
10. countableuncountableA very short period of time (figuratively, the time taken to snap one's fingers), or a task that can be accomplished in such a period.

    It'll be a snap to get that finished.

    1 more example

    I can fix most vacuum cleaners in a snap.

11. countableuncountableA snap bean such as Phaseolus vulgaris.
12. countableuncountableAmerican footballA backward pass or handoff of a football from its position on the ground that puts the ball in play; a hike.

    According to Pro Football Focus, Simmons, listed at 6-foot-4 and 238 pounds, played at least 100 snaps at five positions — slot cornerback, edge rusher, linebacker and both safety spots — and finished with 16½ tackles for a loss, eight sacks, eight pass deflections and three interceptions.

    2020 April 23, Ken Belson, Ben Shpigel, “Full Round 1 2020 N.F.L. Picks and Analysis”, in The New York Times, New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 23 Apr 2020

13. colloquialcountableuncountableA rivet: a scrapbooking embellishment.
14. countableuncountablefishingA small device resembling a safety pin, used to attach the bait or lure to the line.
15. UKcountableregionaluncountableA small meal, a snack; lunch.

    When I went to put my coat on at snap time, what should go runnin' up my arm but a mouse.

    1913, D[avid] H[erbert] Lawrence, “Chapter 4”, in Sons and Lovers, London: Duckworth & Co. […], →OCLC

16. uncountableA card game, primarily for children, in which players cry "snap" to claim pairs of matching cards as they are turned up.
17. countableobsoleteuncountableA greedy fellow.

    up rises a Cunning Snap, then at the Board, who desir'd to be Inform'd

    1692, Roger L’Estrange, “ (please specify the fable number.) (please specify the name of the fable.)”, in Fables, of Æsop and Other Eminent Mythologists: […], London: […] R[ichard] Sare, […], →OCLC

18. countableuncountableThat which is, or may be, snapped up; something bitten off, seized, or obtained by a single quick movement; hence, a bite, morsel, or fragment; a scrap.

    He's a nimble fellow, / And alike skill'd in every liberal science, / As having certain snaps of all.

    1625 (first performance), Ben[jamin] Jonson, The Staple of Newes. […], London: […] I[ohn] B[eale] for Robert Allot […], published 1631, →OCLC, (please specify the page), (please specify the scene number in lowercase Roman numerals)

19. countableuncountableBriskness; vigour; energy; decision.
20. archaiccountableslanguncountableAny circumstance out of which money may be made or an advantage gained. used primarily in the phrase soft snap.

    The Profs they lead a jolly life, jolly life, / They're free from every care and strife, care and strife. / They make the studes, poor studes fall into line; / I wish the Profs' soft snap were mine.

    1920, Cornell Forester, volumes 1-6

    1 more example

    A Sea Soldier is certaine of victuals and wages, where the Land Soldiers pay will hardly find him sustenance. A Sea Soldier may now and than chaunce to haue a snapp at a bootie or a price, which may in an instant make him a fortune […]

    1876, Publications, London, England: New Shakspere Society, page 169

21. countableslanguncountableSomething that is easy or effortless.

    I’m afraid my course is regarded as a ‘snap.’ Everybody, it seems, can grasp English literature (and produce it).

    1919, Henry B[lake] Fuller, “Cope Dines—and Tells About It”, in Bertram Cope’s Year: A Novel, Chicago, Ill.: Ralph Fletcher Seymour, The Alderbrink Press, →OCLC, page 56

    1 more example

    The job was a snap. I travelled the country averaging a thousand miles a week and, since the previous incumbent had been a lazy bugger, managed to treble the business. It was a cinch.

    2003, Clive Selwood, All the Moves (but None of the Licks), page 33

22. countableuncountableA snapper, or snap beetle.
23. countablehumorousuncountablenatural sciencesjounce (the fourth derivative of the position vector with respect to time), followed by crackle and pop
24. countableuncountableA quick offhand shot with a firearm; a snap shot.
25. colloquialcountableuncountableSomething of no value.

    not worth a snap

26. Alternative letter-case form of Snap.
    1. countableuncountablesocial mediaA visual message sent through the Snapchat application.

       The oldest snaps will be deleted after 24 hours, and to keep the story going you'll have to add new content regularly.

       2015, Suse Barnes, Like, Follow, Share: Awesome, Actionable Social Media Marketing to Maximise Your Online Potential, page 238

       2 more examples

       By April 2014, over 700 million snaps are shared per day on Snapchat — more than Facebook, WhatsApp, and other social networks.

       2014, Newton Lee, Facebook Nation: Total Information Awareness, page 51

       While Snapchat bases its whole product marketing on the auto-deletion of the snaps (images and videos) so that they are not stored, recent reports indicate otherwise.

       2015, Yuval Karniel, Amit Lavie-Dinur, Privacy and Fame: How We Expose Ourselves across Media Platforms, page 120

    2. abbreviationclippingcolloquialcountableuncountablesocial mediaClipping of Snapchat (“user account on Snapchat”).

       He asked for my snap one day so I gave it to him, but strictly as friends and he knew that.

       2023 August 29, Alexis Sook, chapter 1, in Two Hearts or One, Union City, N.J.: Writers Republic L.L.C., →ISBN, page 4

       2 more examples

       “[…] What’s your snap?” she asks. “Oh here.” He jerks for his phone not trying to test her patience or invitation. They trade info. “Cool,” she comments and memorizes his username.

       2017, Coulter, A Night’s Tale, BookVenture Publishing LLC, →ISBN

       In addition to compliments (“that’s hot!”) and direct propositions (“please post a full frontal shot”), commenters often leave invitations on users’ posts to direct message them (“DM me!”), follow their account (“follow me”) or exchange usernames for the ephemeral social messaging service, Snapchat (“snap: @readyforyou”, “what’s your snap?”).

       2018, Elija Cassidy, Gay Men, Identity and Social Media: A Culture of Participatory Reluctance, Routledge, →ISBN

27. countableuncountableLinuxA package provided for the application sandboxing system snapd developed by Canonical.
28. uncountableA crisp or pithy quality; epigrammatic point or force.
29. countableuncountableA tool used by riveters.
30. countableuncountableA tool used by glass-moulders.
31. countabledatedslanguncountableA brief theatrical engagement.
32. countabledatedslanguncountableA cheat or sharper.
33. countableuncountableA newsflash.

    A 'snap' usually becomes a 'newsflash' on air. Keep snaps short, only run them when news is really 'hot', and try not to break a story within a few minutes of the bulletin unless it is top priority.

    2013, Paul Chantler, Peter Stewart, Basic Radio Journalism, page 159

34. countableslanguncountableAn insult of the kind used in the African-American verbal game of the dozens.

    […] black communities, this “snap” or example of the “dozens” (the clever form of insult also known as signifying and dissin') appears: “Your father's so black that when he falls down, people hop over him for fear of falling in.”

    2013, Lewis R. Gordon, Existentia Africana: Understanding Africana Existential Thought, page 34

    1 more example

    The subcategory of snaps or rankouts often follows the formula of “Your mother's like——; she——,” or “Your mother's so——, she——.” Examples are “Your mother's like a door-knob; everyone gets a turn” and “Your mother's so low, she could play handball on the curb.”

    2015, Simon J. Bronner, Encyclopedia of American Folklife

    Synonyms: rankout

35. uncountableA subgenre of hip-hop music derived from crunk.

    Snap is another music style that came out of Atlanta. Snap is an early- to mid-2000s hip hop style derived from crunk.

    2019, Anthony J. Fonseca, Listen to Rap!: Exploring a Musical Genre, page 1913

present singular third person snaps · participle present snapping · participle past snapped · past snapped · obsolete participle past snapt · obsolete past snapt

1. intransitivetransitiveTo fracture or break apart suddenly.

   He snapped his stick in anger.

   2 more examples

   If you bend it too much, it will snap.

   But this weapon will snap short, unfaithful to the hand that employs it.

   1790 November, Edmund Burke, Reflections on the Revolution in France, and on the Proceedings in Certain Societies in London Relative to that Event. […], London: […] J[ames] Dodsley, […], →OCLC

2. intransitiveTo give forth or produce a sharp cracking noise; to crack.

   Blazing firewood snaps.

3. intransitiveTo attempt to seize or bite with the teeth, beak, etc.

   A dog snaps at a passenger. A fish snaps at the bait.

4. intransitiveTo attempt to seize with eagerness.

   She snapped at the chance to appear on television.

5. intransitiveTo speak abruptly or sharply.

   He snapped at me for the slightest mistake.

6. intransitiveTo give way abruptly and loudly.
7. intransitiveTo suffer a mental breakdown, usually while under tension.

   She should take a break before she snaps.

   2 more examples

   He was in the Thunderbirds before the war. One of the best combat pilots in 'Nam. Snapped. No doubt about it.

   1983, Frank Lupo, Stephen J. Cannell, “Mexican Slayride”, in The A-Team, season 1, episode 1, spoken by Colonel Lynch (William Lucking)

   At the moment Carter snapped, a lunch break in J&M turned into a blood riot when half a dozen technicians dropped their snacks and began cannibalizing each other instead. In I&T, their opposite numbers began beating each other to death with keyboards, chairs, and even computer monitors while their Chief masticated her husband's digits.

   2024 September 28, Harry Blank, “Not Ready for Prime Time”, in Deadlined, →ISBN, page 604

8. intransitiveTo flash or appear to flash as with light.
9. intransitiveTo fit or fasten together with a snapping sound.
10. intransitivecomputingTo jump to a fixed position relative to another element.

    The floating toolbar will snap to the edge of the screen when dragged towards it.

11. transitiveTo snatch with or as if with the teeth.

    He, by playing too often at the mouth of death, has been snapped by it at last.

    1692–1717, Robert South, Twelve Sermons Preached upon Several Occasions, volume (please specify |volume=I to VI), London

12. transitiveTo pull apart with a snapping sound; to pop loose.
13. transitiveTo say abruptly or sharply.

    “No, please, stop with this nonsense,” snapped Julian Nagelsmann. Germany had just lost 2-1 to Ecuador in their final group game and the television interviewer was suggesting that with Germany already qualified, perhaps the Ecuadoreans had simply wanted it more.

    2026 June 28, Jonathan Liew, “Germany trapped between past and future with team lost in identity malaise”, in The Guardian, →ISSN

14. datedtransitiveTo speak to abruptly or sharply; to treat snappishly; usually with up.

    A surly, ill-bred Lord, That chides, and snaps her up at ev'ry Word

    1721, George Granville, “Cleora”, in Poems Upon Several Occasions

15. transitiveTo cause something to emit a snapping sound, especially by closing it rapidly.

    to snap a whip

    3 more examples

    to snap a fastener

    Three more birds came in, and as each took up his roosting place, the old bird repeated his challenge by snapping his beak at them.

    1886, Peter Christen Asbjø￵rnsen, translated by H.L. Brækstad, Folk and Fairy Tales, page 71

    "Time's up!" said Mr. Peeble, snapping his watch.

    1925 July – 1926 May, A[rthur] Conan Doyle, “(please specify the chapter number)”, in The Land of Mist (eBook no. 0601351h.html), Australia: Project Gutenberg Australia, published April 2019

16. transitiveTo close something using a snap as a fastener.
17. transitiveTo snap one's fingers: to make a snapping sound, often by pressing the thumb and an opposing finger of the same hand together and suddenly releasing the grip so that the finger hits against the palm; alternatively, by bringing the index finger quickly down onto the middle finger and thumb.

    MacMorian[…] snapped his fingers repeatedly.

    1815 February 24, [Walter Scott], Guy Mannering; or, The Astrologer. […], volume (please specify |volume=I to III), Edinburgh: […] James Ballantyne and Co. for Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Brown, […]; and Archibald Constable and Co., […], →OCLC

18. transitiveTo cause to move suddenly and smartly.
19. intransitiveTo move or shift suddenly.

    The soldiers snapped to attention as the colonel entered the room.

    1 more example

    Veiksaar's half-baked .aic was running the camera feeds, and traced the path of destruction beginning in the workroom with brutal efficiency. The views snapped from scene to scene on five second intervals, and it was like watching an interpolation of every snuff film ever made.

    2024 September 28, Harry Blank, “Not Ready for Prime Time”, in Deadlined, →ISBN, page 604

20. transitiveTo take a photograph; to release a camera's shutter (which may make a snapping sound).

    He snapped a picture of me with my mouth open and my eyes closed.

    1 more example

    I arrive at the station in time to snap a few pictures and observe my fellow passengers.

    2020 December 2, Paul Bigland, “My weirdest and wackiest Rover yet”, in Rail, page 64

21. ditransitivesocial mediaAlternative letter-case form of Snap (“to send a visual message through the Snapchat application”).

    Did you know she just joined Snapchat? Last night, she snapped me a picture of you sitting in a muddy puddle in nothing but your diaper.

    2024, Jami Rogers, “Chapter Two: Natalie”, in Always Been Write: A Small Town, Best Friends to Lovers Romance (Lust or Bust; 6)

    1 more example

    As I set myself up the round table, my phone lit up with a few notifications on Snapchat. Gustin snapped me a few pictures of the three boys in the park.

    2019, Keertiga Chandran, “Rockhurst”, in The Pebble Fall Theme Park: Welcome to the Pebble Fall Theme Park, Partridge Publishing Singapore, →ISBN

22. transitiveAmerican footballTo put (a football) in play by a backward pass or handoff from its position on the ground; to hike (a football).

    He can snap the ball to a back twenty yards behind him.

23. intransitiveTo misfire.

    The gun snapped.

24. transitiveball gamesTo catch out sharply (a batsman who has just snicked a bowled ball).

1. The cry used in a game of snap when winning a hand.
2. AustraliaUKbroadly"I've got one the same!", "Me too!"

   Snap! We've both got pink buckets and spades.

3. UKbroadlyUsed to express agreement.
4. CanadaUSUsed in place of an expletive to express surprise, usually in response to a negative statement or news; often used facetiously.

   I just ran over your phone with my car. —Oh, snap!

5. AustraliaNew ZealandUKUsed after something is said by two people at exactly the same time.

   —Wasn't that John? —Wasn't that John? —Snap!

   Synonyms: jinx

1. attributiveinformalnot comparableDone, made, performed, etc., quickly and unexpectedly, or without deliberation.

   a snap judgment or decision

   2 more examples

   a snap political convention

   Now I should consider it a very snap judgment or a snap diagnosis for anybody to come into a medical society

   1889, The Kansas City Medical Index-Lancet, volume 10, number 8

1. USabbreviationacronymAcronym of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.

   Most of the current proposals to eliminate soda from SNAP come from reliably Republican states, but the partisan lines aren’t straightforward.

   2025 July 19, Ben Blatt, “Should Food Stamps Pay for Soda?”, in The New York Times, →ISSN, archived from the original on 19 Jul 2025

   2 more examples

   Lots of people who are in compliance with the new rules – either because they already work or meet exemption criteria – could lose their assistance because of red tape, said Dottie Rosenbaum, the center’s director of federal SNAP policy.

   2023 June 2, Tami Luhby, “Here’s who would have to work for government benefits – and who wouldn’t – under the debt ceiling package”, in CNN, archived from the original on 13 Jun 2023

   According to the Food Research and Action Center, 39 percent of children, 20 percent of seniors and 10 percent of disabled people across the country depend on SNAP to put food on their tables each month.

   2025 November 3, Samantha Latson, “Houses of Worship Struggle to Feed New Yorkers During SNAP Stalemate”, in The New York Times, New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 04 Nov 2025

2. abbreviationacronymcomputingAcronym of Subnetwork Access Protocol.
3. abbreviationacronymhistoricalvideo gamesAcronym of Scalable Network Application Package.
4. abbreviationacronymbusinessAcronym of Symbolic Network Analysis Program.

plural SNAPs

1. abbreviationacronymcountableuncountablebiochemistryAcronym of soluble NSF attachment protein.
2. abbreviationacronymcountableuncountablechemistryAcronym of S-nitroso-N-acetylpenicillamine.

1. abbreviationclippingcolloquialClipping of Snapchat.

   “What’s your Snap handle? We should become friends.”

   2023, Isa Watson, Life Beyond Likes: Logging Off Your Screen and Into Your Life, BenBella Books, →ISBN

   4 more examples

   Others pointed to messages on Snap, WhatsApp, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube with doctored clips of “news reports” saying that voting was rigged where they lived and said, Why even bother voting?

   2020, Theresa Payton, Manipulated: Inside the Cyberwar to Hijack Elections and Distort the Truth, Rowman & Littlefield, →ISBN

   Do you have snap? That at least has voice messages we could trade without trading numbers..ya know, in case im a psycho

   2021, David Sharpe, Gentlemen’s Guide to Flirting, →ISBN

   “What’s your Snap?” she says, pulling out her phone, medium-sized with a black sparkly cover that says *That B!tch* in gold letters. “I don’t have Snap,” I say.

   2022, Lee Call, The Angel Room, J Emrys Press, →ISBN

   That nutter Teo keeps sending me messages on Snap asking if you’re at ours??

   2023, Jyoti Patel, The Things That We Lost, #Merky Books, →ISBN

plural Snaps · alternative snap

1. social mediaA visual message sent through the Snapchat application.

   The Snapstreak increases when you and your friend send a Snap to each other within a 24-hour period for three consecutive days.

   2019 August 6, Becky Pemberton, “Snapchat streaks: How to get back a lost streak and how to report a problem”, in The Sun

   Synonyms: Snapchat

2. abbreviationclippingcolloquialsocial mediaClipping of Snapchat (“user account on Snapchat”).

   “Can we exchange info or something? Maybe we can meet up tomorrow.” “Sure, my Snap is NoWaySims.” “That sounds like a fake account,” Ty said.

   2022, Kasie West, Places We’ve Never Been, Delacorte Press, →ISBN, page 97

   2 more examples

   “What’s your Snap?” she says, pulling out her phone, medium-sized with a black sparkly cover that says *That B!tch* in gold letters. “I don’t have Snap,” I say.

   2022, Lee Call, The Angel Room, J Emrys Press, →ISBN

   “I’m in. I’m in. We’ll have a lot to coordinate here, so what’s your Snap?” Brady pulled out his phone and waited on my reply. “Yeah, I don’t have Snapchat. I’ll just give you my number.”

   2023, Mike Thayer, The Talent Thief, Feiwel and Friends, →ISBN

present singular third person Snaps · participle present Snapping · participle past Snapped · past Snapped · alternative snap

1. ditransitivesocial mediaTo send a visual message through the Snapchat application.

   I said I forgot what good taste he had in music and that I really liked House. He said he did too and ask^([sic]) me if I was on Snapchat? I said I used to be and that I could add it again. The instant I did he Snapped me and said he could really use a good back massage.

   2022, Leo Neet, 1000 Secrets, a Million Lies: Confessions of a Sex Addict, Pittsburgh, Pa.: Dorrance Publishing Co, →ISBN, page 45

   2 more examples

   “Snap Clark again, Bea,” Madeline said. “Hopefully he’ll send another bathing suit pic.” / Bea smoothed her hair down and sat up straight on the diving board. She sucked in her cheeks, making her lips all pouty, and took a selfie. For someone who didn’t know how to use Snapchat half an hour ago, she was really getting into it. / Two seconds later she held up her phone. “He Snapped back.”

   2020 October, Eileen Moskowitz-Palma, School Squad (The Popularity Pact; 2), New York, N.Y.: Running Press Kids, →ISBN

   Damien wants to add me on Snapchat and write to me about all the ice cream he’s eaten this evening, which I should have taken as a sign we would never meet. We briefly discuss getting together but send each other dirty pics instead. […] One evening Damien gets excited and says, I’m going to send you a newd (a brand new one!), and then texts the same one he Snapped three weeks ago, a black-and-white artsy number with weed smoke trailing above his privates like ribbon dancers at a music festival.

   2024, Suzanne Samples, Thirteen Tunnels, [Los Angeles, Calif.]: Running Wild Press, →ISBN

   Synonyms: Snapchat