snatch

CEFRB2

/snæt͡ʃ/

verb

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    verb

    To take something quickly.

  2. 02

    verb

    Extra detail

    To attempt to seize something suddenly.

Examples

  • Love is something that you can neither snatch away nor express.

  • You have to snatch at happiness when you can.

At a glance

Sits at B2 on the CEFR scale

Senses
5
Parts of speech
1
Citations
5
Synonyms
5

Deep Dive

verb

Extra meanings

  1. To take or seize hastily, abruptly, or without permission or ceremony.

  2. To grasp and remove quickly.

  3. To steal.

More examples

In context

  • She snatched the letter out of the secretary's hand.

  • He snatched up the phone.

  • to snatch at a rope

Synonyms

Quick test

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Question 1 · Quick check

The thief tried to blank the purse from the woman walking home alone.

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Nearby

Origin

verb

From Middle English snacchen, snecchen (“to snap; seize”), from Old English *snæċċan, *sneċċan, from Proto-West Germanic *snakkjan, from Proto-Germanic *snakjaną (“to whiff, sniff, catch wind of; to taste-test, nibble”), related to Proto-Germanic *snakōną (“to breathe, blow, sigh”) and *snakkōną (“to blather, jabber, chatter”). Cognate with Middle Dutch snacken (“to snap [of a dog]”), Norwegian Nynorsk snaka (“to snatch [of animals]”). Related also to Dutch snakken (“to sob, pant, long for”), Low German snacken (“to chatter”), German schnacken (“to chat”), Danish snakke (“to chat”) and Norwegian snakke (“to chat”). Related to snack.