# snatch

/ˈsnætʃ/ (US) · /snˈætʃ/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/snatch
Updated: 2026-06-20

## Senses

### 1. to grab suddenly

verb · CEFR B2

to take something quickly and often rudely or by force.

For teachers: to seize or grasp something abruptly, often without permission or with sudden force.

- The monkey reached out and snatched the banana right out of my hand.
- The thief snatched the tourist's handbag and disappeared into the crowded market before anyone could react.

Usage: Often used with 'away' or 'up'.

### 2. to win at the last moment

verb · CEFR B2 · Informal

to win a game or a prize just before it ends.

For teachers: to achieve a victory or success unexpectedly at the final moment of a competition.

- The team managed to snatch a victory in the final seconds of the match.
- The underdog candidate managed to snatch the lead in the final hours of polling, surprising political analysts across the country.

### 3. to do something quickly

verb · CEFR C1 · Informal

to find a small amount of time to do something, like sleep or eat.

For teachers: to perform an action or obtain something briefly in the limited time available.

- I managed to snatch an hour of sleep on the train before my meeting.
- Between the two long surgery sessions, the doctor tried to snatch a quick lunch in the staff room.

### 4. a small piece

noun · CEFR B2

a very short part of a conversation, a song, or a story.

For teachers: a small, fragmentary portion of something, especially of speech or music.

- I only heard a snatch of their conversation as I walked past the office.
- The radio was poorly tuned, so we only caught snatches of the news broadcast between bursts of static.

### 5. weightlifting

noun · CEFR C1 · Technical

a type of lift where the athlete moves the weight from the floor to above their head in one motion.

For teachers: a competitive weightlifting lift in which a barbell is raised from the ground to an overhead position in one continuous movement.

- He broke the national record for the snatch in the heavyweight category.
- The athlete's technique in the snatch was flawless, demonstrating a perfect balance of explosive power and overhead stability.

### 6. vulva

noun · CEFR C2 · Slang · Vulgar

an impolite word for a woman's genitals.

For teachers: a slang term for the vulva, considered offensive in most social contexts.

- The comedian used the word snatch in a joke that many people found offensive.
- The use of such vulgarisms as 'snatch' in the workplace is grounds for immediate disciplinary action.

Teaching tip: This is a highly offensive term; learners should be aware of it to avoid using it accidentally.

### 7. aviation vibration

noun · CEFR C2 · Technical

a sudden shaking of an airplane's wings when flying very fast.

For teachers: rapid, uncommanded oscillation of aircraft control surfaces occurring at transonic speeds.

- The pilot felt a slight snatch as the jet approached the speed of sound.
- Engineers redesigned the ailerons to minimize snatch during high-Mach maneuvers.

## Examples

- She snatched the book from the table.
- The thief snatched the woman's handbag and ran into the crowd.
- He snatched a brief moment of silence before the storm broke, listening intently to the wind's rising howl.

---

From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.