English Reference
verb · noun · adjective

snub

v. · n. · adj.
US /ˈsnəb/ UK /snˈʌb/ snub UK spelling snubbed, snubs

  1. 01 B2 Upper Intermediate

    v.to ignore someone on purpose or treat them coldly to show you are angry or think they are not important.

    v.to treat with contempt or neglect by ignoring or behaving coldly toward someone. Transitive; requires a direct object.

    Simple

    She felt hurt when her former friends snubbed her at the party.

    In context

    The veteran diplomat felt publicly snubbed when he was not invited to the high-level briefing despite his decades of expertise in the region.

  2. 02 C1 Advanced Formal

    v.to refuse to accept an invitation or an idea in a way that seems a bit rude.

    v.to reject or dismiss an offer, invitation, or suggestion in a pointed or insulting manner.

    Simple

    The company snubbed the takeover offer, calling it far too low.

    In context

    The committee snubbed the proposed reforms, opting instead to maintain the status quo despite growing pressure from the public.

    rejectspurnrebuff
  3. 03 B2 Upper Intermediate

    n.an act of ignoring someone or treating them as if they have no value.

    n.a deliberate affront, slight, or act of social rejection.

    Simple

    It was a real snub when they didn't mention his hard work in the speech.

    In context

    The absence of the prime minister at the opening ceremony was widely interpreted by the press as a calculated diplomatic snub.

    slightinsultrebuff
  4. 04 B2 Upper Intermediate

    adj.short and flat, usually describing a person's nose that turns up at the end.

    adj.short and broad, specifically referring to a nose that is slightly turned up at the tip.

    Simple

    The child had a cute snub nose and bright blue eyes.

    In context

    The portrait captured the subject's distinctive snub nose and high cheekbones with remarkable precision.

    upturned
    aquilinelong
  5. 05 C2 Proficiency Technical Math

    adj.a special shape in math made by adding extra triangles to a simpler shape.

    adj.describing a polyhedron derived from a simpler form by the process of snubbing, which involves adding extra triangular faces.

    Simple

    The snub cube is a beautiful shape with thirty-eight faces.

    In context

    In Archimedean geometry, the snub dodecahedron is a chiral solid that possesses sixty vertices and ninety-two faces.

Not many musicians would snub a chance to work with Elvis Presley.

BBC News· 26 Aug 2026

Etymology 1

From Middle English snubben (also snibben), from Old Norse snubba (“to curse, chide, snub, scold, reprove”), which, like the source of English snip, is probably imitative in some manner. Cognate with Danish snibbe, dialectal Swedish snebba.

Etymology 2

From Middle English snubben, snobben (“to sob”). Compare Dutch snuiven (“to snort, to pant”), German schnauben, German dialect schnupfen (“to sob”), and English snuff (transitive verb).

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This entry
Origin non snubba
Level C1 · Advanced
Frequency Occasional
Updated