snap

English Online Dictionary. What means snap‎? What does snap mean?

English

Etymology

From Dutch snappen (“to bite; seize”) or Low German snappen (“to bite; seize”), ultimately from Proto-West Germanic *snappōn, from Proto-Germanic *snappōną (“to snap; snatch; chatter”), intensive form of *snapāną (”to snap; grab”, whence Old Norse snapa (“to get; scrounge”)), from Proto-Indo-European *snop-; compare Lithuanian snãpas (“beak, bill”). (One alternative hypothesis links the Germanic words to *snu-, an expressive root deriving words meaning “nose”, “snout”, “sniff” etc., but this is phonetically unsound.) In any case influenced by onomatopoeia; note expressions such as snip-snap, containing the formally unrelated snip.

Cognate with West Frisian snappe (“to get; catch; snap”), German schnappen (“to grab”), Swedish snappa (“to snatch”).

The verb is derived from the noun.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /snæp/
• Rhymes: -æp

Noun

snap (countable and uncountable, plural snaps)

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

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

9. A brief, sudden period of a certain weather; used primarily in the phrase cold snap.
10. A 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.

11. A snap bean such as Phaseolus vulgaris.
12. (American football) A backward pass or handoff of a football from its position on the ground that puts the ball in play; a hike.
13. (colloquial) A rivet: a scrapbooking embellishment.
14. (fishing) A small device resembling a safety pin, used to attach the bait or lure to the line.
15. (UK, regional) A small meal, a snack; lunch.
16. (uncountable) A card game, primarily for children, in which players cry "snap" to claim pairs of matching cards as they are turned up.
17. (obsolete) A greedy fellow.
18. That 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.
19. briskness; vigour; energy; decision
20. (slang, archaic) Any circumstance out of which money may be made or an advantage gained. used primarily in the phrase soft snap.
    • 1876, New Shakspere Society (London, England), Publications (page 169)

      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 […]
21. (slang) Something that is easy or effortless.
22. A snapper, or snap beetle.
23. (physics, humorous) jounce (the fourth derivative of the position vector with respect to time), followed by crackle and pop
24. A quick offhand shot with a firearm; a snap shot.
25. (colloquial) Something of no value.

26. (social media) Alternative letter-case form of Snap.
    1. A visual message sent through the Snapchat application.
    2. (colloquial) Clipping of Snapchat (“user account on Snapchat”).
27. (Linux) A package provided for the application sandboxing system snapd developed by Canonical.
28. (uncountable) A crisp or pithy quality; epigrammatic point or force.
29. A tool used by riveters.
30. A tool used by glass-moulders.
31. (slang, dated) A brief theatrical engagement.
32. (slang, dated) A cheat or sharper.
33. A newsflash.
34. (slang) An insult of the kind used in the African-American verbal game of the dozens.

    Synonym: rankout
35. (uncountable) A subgenre of hip-hop music derived from crunk.

Derived terms

Translations

Verb

snap (third-person singular simple present snaps, present participle snapping, simple past and past participle snapped or (obsolete) snapt)

1. (intransitive, transitive) To fracture or break apart suddenly.
2. (intransitive) To give forth or produce a sharp cracking noise; to crack.

3. (intransitive) To attempt to seize or bite with the teeth, beak, etc.

4. (intransitive) To attempt to seize with eagerness.

5. (intransitive) To speak abruptly or sharply.

6. (intransitive) To give way abruptly and loudly.
7. (intransitive) To suffer a mental breakdown, usually while under tension.
8. (intransitive) To flash or appear to flash as with light.
9. (intransitive) To fit or fasten together with a snapping sound.
10. (intransitive, computing, graphical user interface) To jump to a fixed position relative to another element.

11. (transitive) To snatch with or as if with the teeth.
12. (transitive) To pull apart with a snapping sound; to pop loose.
13. (transitive) To say abruptly or sharply.
14. (transitive, dated) To speak to abruptly or sharply; to treat snappishly; usually with up.
15. (transitive) To cause something to emit a snapping sound, especially by closing it rapidly.
16. (transitive) To close something using a snap as a fastener.
17. (transitive) To 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.
18. (transitive) To cause to move suddenly and smartly.
19. (transitive) To take a photograph; to release a camera's shutter (which may make a snapping sound).
20. (social media, ditransitive) Alternative letter-case form of Snap (“to send a visual message through the Snapchat application”).
21. (transitive, American football) To put (a football) in play by a backward pass or handoff from its position on the ground; to hike (a football).

22. (intransitive) To misfire.

23. (cricket, transitive) To catch out sharply (a batsman who has just snicked a bowled ball).

Derived terms

Translations

Interjection

snap!

1. The cry used in a game of snap when winning a hand.
2. (British, Australia, by extension) "I've got one the same!", "Me too!"

3. (British, by extension) Used to express agreement.
4. (Canada, US) Used in place of an expletive to express surprise, usually in response to a negative statement or news; often used facetiously.

5. (British, Australia, New Zealand) Used after something is said by two people at exactly the same time.

   Synonym: jinx

Translations

Adjective

snap (not comparable)

1. (informal, attributive) Done, made, performed, etc., quickly and unexpectedly, or without deliberation.

Derived terms

• snap election

See also

• Snap (game) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

References

• “snap”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.

Anagrams

• NSPA, ANPs, NPAS, span, naps, PANs, PNAs, pans, APNS, PNAS, SPAN, Pans, Span, NPAs

Dutch

Pronunciation

Verb

snap

1. inflection of snappen:
   1. first-person singular present indicative
   2. (in case of inversion) second-person singular present indicative
   3. imperative

Anagrams

• span

Scottish Gaelic

Etymology

Borrowed from the English snap

Noun

snap m (genitive singular snaip, plural snapan)

1. trigger (of a gun)
2. morsel

Derived terms

• snapach (“having a trigger; that misses fire; that fires; that strikes fast”)

Verb

snap (past snap, future snapaidh, verbal noun snapadh, past participle snapta)

1. pull a trigger
2. misfire

Derived terms

• snapaireachd (“snapping, snapping sound, as that caused by pulling the trigger of a gun”)

References

• Edward Dwelly (1911) “snap”, in Faclair Gàidhlig gu Beurla le Dealbhan [The Illustrated Gaelic–English Dictionary]‎^[2], 10th edition, Edinburgh: Birlinn Limited, →ISBN

Spanish

Noun

snap m (plural snaps)

1. snap (photograph)