snatch

Etymology

Definitions

1. 1

   To grasp and remove quickly.

   • He snatched up the phone.
   • She snatched the letter out of the secretary's hand.
   • Snatch me to heaven.
2. 2

   To attempt to seize something suddenly.

   • to snatch at a rope
3. 3

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

   • to snatch a kiss
   • 1731-1735, Alexander Pope, Moral Essays when half our knowledge we must snatch, not take
4. ›+ 13 more definitionsshow fewer

   1. 4

      To steal.

      • Someone has just snatched my purse!
   2. 5

      To take (a victory) at the last moment.

      • But, with United fans in celebratory mood as it appeared their team might snatch glory, they faced an anxious wait as City equalised in stoppage time.
   3. 6

      To do something quickly in the limited time available.

      • He snatched a sandwich before catching the train.
      • He snatched a glimpse of her while her mother had her back turned.
   4. 7

      A quick grab or catch.

      • The leftfielder makes a nice snatch to end the inning.
      • And he […] glared on the cold pistols that hung before him—ready for anything. And he took down one with a snatch and weighed it in his hand, and fell to thinking again; […]
   5. 8

      A short period.

      • At the end we preferred to travel all night, Sleeping in snatches,
      • Frank looked at the screens dully. He had slept about three hours, in snatches.
   6. 9

      A competitive weightlifting event in which a barbell is lifted from the platform to…

      A competitive weightlifting event in which a barbell is lifted from the platform to locked arms overhead in a smooth continuous movement.

   7. 10

      A piece of some sound, usually music or conversation.

      • I heard a snatch of Mozart as I passed the open window.
      • But, purgatory as the place would appear, the stranger advances into it; and, like Orpheus in his gay descent to Tartarus, lightly hums to himself an opera snatch.
   8. 11

      The vulva.

      • Claude, is it true what they say about Olovia? Of course she’s getting a little old for us—what about Marilyum, did you try her snatch?
      • Roughly Santino ripped the sheet from the bed, exposing all of her. She had blond hair on her snatch, which drove him crazy. He was partial to blondes.
      • Dan: Hey, Ani, I found my keys! They were in my pocket. Ani: That's great, Dan! Of course, I've never lost mine. Dan: Really? Where do you keep yours? Ani: In my snatch!
   9. 12

      Rapid, uncommanded jerking or oscillation of the ailerons of some aircraft at high Mach…

      Rapid, uncommanded jerking or oscillation of the ailerons of some aircraft at high Mach numbers, resulting from shock wave formation at transonic speeds.

      • If, after the pilot notices the overspeed, he deploys the spoilers, or if aileron "snatch" rolls the airplane to an excessive bank angle, it may become impossible to recover.
   10. 13

       A brief period of exertion.

   11. 14

       A catching of the voice.

   12. 15

       A hasty snack

       A hasty snack; a bite to eat.

   13. 16

       A quibble.

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