snap1 verbsnap2 nounsnap3 adjectivesnap4 interjection
snapsnap1 /snæp/ ●●● W3 verb (past tense and past participle snapped, present participle snapping) 
WORD ORIGINsnap1
Origin:
1400-1500 Dutch, Low German snappenVERB TABLE
snap
| Simple Form | ||
| Present | I, you, we, they | snap |
| he, she, it | snaps | |
| Past | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | snapped |
| Present perfect | I, you, we, they | have snapped |
| he, she, it | has snapped | |
| Past perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | had snapped |
| Future | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will snap |
| Future perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will have snapped |
| Continuous Form | ||
| Present | I | am snapping |
| he, she, it | is snapping | |
| you, we, they | are snapping | |
| Past | I, he, she, it | was snapping |
| you, we, they | were snapping | |
| Present perfect | I, you, we, they | have been snapping |
| he, she, it | has been snapping | |
| Past perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | had been snapping |
| Future | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will be snapping |
| Future perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will have been snapping |
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- "Can't you see I'm eating?" Mattie snapped.
- A twig snapped under his foot.
- Charlotte's patience suddenly snapped.
- Cheaper versions are made of metal that could rust and snap.
- He accidentally snapped his putter in half during one tournament.
- He hit a rock and snapped the truck's axle.
- High winds snapped power lines in the city, leaving more than 9000 people without power.
- Leroy finally snapped and attacked his tormentors.
- Mel snapped a picture with his pocket camera.
- Melanie Smithson, who is accused of murdering her husband, has claimed that she snapped after years of violence and abuse.
- One of the strings on my guitar snapped when I was tuning it.
- Power lines snapped in the high winds.
- The cops snapped the handcuffs back onto the prisoner.
- The Rockets finally snapped a seven-game losing streak by defeating Portland.
- The tip of the Christmas tree snapped off when it fell.
- When he hit me across the face, I just snapped.
- And then holding the cigarette in front of his face he snapped the tip like some breaker of bread.
- As soon as the ball was snapped, I took off after them.
- As the pounding got louder and louder, suddenly Christine snapped.
- But the actors snap the movie back to life with sharply observed emotion.
- Her twig-thin legs seemed fit to snap.
- One hundred feet up it snapped into full canopy.
- Sliding them on to the desk, she snapped open her briefcase and took out her calculator.
- The nurse snapped her fingers, and they sprang into motion.
THESAURUSto break something
verb [transitive] to damage something and make it separate into pieces, for example by dropping it or hitting it: · Careful you don’t break the chair.· He broke his leg.
verb [transitive] to break something with a lot of force: · A policeman smashed his camera.
verb [transitive] to break something into two pieces, making a loud noise – used especially about long thin objects: · He snapped the sticks in two.
verb [transitive] to separate something into two pieces along a straight line: · Using a sharp knife, split the melon in half.
verb [transitive] to damage a bone, especially so that a line appears on the surface: · I fell over and fractured my wrist.
verb [transitive] to damage paper or cloth by pulling it so that it separates into pieces: · She tore up the letter and put it in the bin.· I tore my jacket.
Longman Language Activatorto bite someone · Don't worry about the dog - he won't bite.· She fought off her attacker, scratching and biting him.bite somebody on the face/hand/leg etc · On just the second day of the trip, I was bitten on the leg by a snake.
to bite a part of someone's body very hard so that your teeth go into their flesh: · The dog leapt at him, sinking its teeth into his arm.· The shark sank its teeth into the soft flesh of his thigh.
to try to bite someone by making quick biting movements: · Sean came running around the corner of the house with a small dog snapping at his heels.· Every time your puppy snaps at someone, give him a smack on the butt with a rolled up newspaper.
to bite someone or something with small sharp bites, or to try to do this: · When I took the hamster out of his cage, he nipped me.nip at: · A school of fish swam around her feet, some nipping at her ankles.
especially British to bite someone, not very hard: · Don't try to pet the parrot - he could give you a really nasty bite.
to break something into two pieces to break something into two, fairly equal pieces: · The explosion broke the ship in two.· David broke the chocolate bar in half and gave a piece to Sue.
to break something, usually a long thin object, so that it makes a sudden, short loud noise: · He hit a rock and snapped the truck's axle.· High winds snapped power lines in the city, leaving more than 9000 people without power.snap something in two/in half: · He accidentally snapped his putter in half during one tournament.snap off: · The tip of the tree snapped off when it fell.
to break something such as wood into two parts along a straight line: · She learned to split logs and stack a woodpile.split something in two/in half: · Split the leek in half lengthwise, and cut it into 1/4-inch pieces.
to break into two pieces · The ship broke in two when it ran aground, and 900 tons of fuel oil leaked out.· When I pulled at the board, it broke in two and fell down.
if something snaps , especially something long and thin, it breaks into two pieces making a short loud noise: · A twig snapped under his foot.· Power lines snapped in the high winds.· One of the strings on my guitar snapped when I was tuning it.snap off: · The tip of the Christmas tree snapped off when it fell.
if wood, bone etc splits , it breaks into two parts along a straight line: · The window frames are old and the wood is starting to split.· When it crashed, the plane's fuselage split behind the wings.split in two/half: · The back of the chair had split in two.split open (=split so that there is a hole): · A metal tube split open in the steam generator of the nuclear power plant.
to buy something to pay money for something so that you can own it: · I bought a new dress today at Macy's.· John makes his living buying and selling used cars.· The painting was bought by a museum in New York.buy somebody something: · Keith was going to buy me a ring, but now he says he wants to buy me a watch instead.buy something for somebody: · If you don't have enough money for the pen, I'll buy it for you.buy something from somebody: · I wouldn't buy anything from him - I don't trust him.buy something for $10/£200 etc: · The ranch, which was originally bought for $20,000, is now valued at over $2 million.
especially spoken to buy something, especially ordinary things such as food, clothes, or things for your house: · Let me get the drinks. It's my turn to pay.· Did you remember to get the bread?get somebody something: · Guess what he got her for her birthday - an iron!get something for somebody: · I'm going to get one of those video games for Hillary.get something for £20/$50 etc: · What do you think of this leather jacket? I got it for $40 on sale.
formal to buy something - used in business and legal contracts: · Foreign investors are not permitted to purchase land.· If this product does not give complete satisfaction, please return it to the manufacturer stating when and where it was purchased.
to buy something immediately, especially because it is very cheap or you want it very much, and you are worried that someone else might buy it first: snap up something: · Readers have snapped up nearly 200,000 copies of the book.· The best bargains tend to be snapped up immediately.snap something up: · If you see one for under $100, snap it up!
to buy something that you have found by chance, especially something that is unusually cheap: pick up something: · He's hoping to pick up a few bargains at the sales.· It's just a little thing I picked up when I was in Kathmandu.pick something up: · That picture? Oh, I picked it up last week at a little shop downtown.
British splurge (on something) American to buy something you want such as an expensive meal, dress etc, which you would not usually buy because it is too expensive: · We splashed out on a bottle of champagne to celebrate her promotion.· Let's splurge and have the steak.
formal to become the owner of something such as land, a company, or a valuable object: · In 1998 the business was acquired by a Dutch company.· The statue was acquired at great expense by the City Corporation.· Robinson spent $20 million to acquire the symphony hall.
unable to control your feelings to become unable to control your feelings and become very angry or upset: · He made her so angry that she lost control and hit him.
uncontrollable emotions or actions are difficult or impossible to control: · Barbara was shaking with uncontrollable laughter.· At the mention of Hannah's name, he flew into an uncontrollable rage.
especially spoken to feel so excited, interested etc that you cannot control what you are saying or doing: · It's easy to get carried away and buy a lot of things that you don't need.· A few of the younger men got a bit carried away and started dancing on the tables.
especially spoken to be so upset or nervous that you cannot control what you are doing and cannot think sensibly: · I was so nervous in my driving test I just went to pieces.· Keeping busy was the only thing that kept her from going to pieces during the divorce.
to suddenly become very angry or upset, after you have been trying to stop yourself getting angry or upset for a long time: · Leroy finally snapped and attacked his tormentors.· Melanie Smithson, who is accused of murdering her husband, has claimed that she snapped after years of violence and abuse.somebody's patience snaps: · Charlotte's patience suddenly snapped.
if you give in to an emotion such as anger or unhappiness, you can no longer control that emotion: · She was determined not to give in to despair.· Miles struggled not to give in to his feelings of anger and hopelessness.
informal to suddenly get very angry or upset, so that you are no longer able to control what you say or do: · Pete just lost it completely and started shouting and screaming at us.
to control your feelings if you control yourself or control your feelings, you continue to behave calmly and sensibly and do not become too angry, excited, or upset: control yourself/himself etc: · She was really annoying me, but I managed to control myself and not say anything.control your temper: · I wish he'd learn to control his temper.
the ability to behave calmly and sensibly and not become too angry, excited, or upset, even when you have a good reason to: · The German team showed amazing self-control throughout the game.
to manage to stay calm and not become angry, especially when someone is trying to make you angry: · I knew they were trying to annoy me but I was determined to keep my temper.· Police officers are expected to keep their tempers whatever people say to them.· It took all her patience just to keep her temper.
the ability to make yourself work hard, take a lot of exercise, not eat the wrong foods etc because you know it is good for you to do so: · I don't know if I've enough self-discipline to work full-time and go to night school.· We try to teach the children self-reliance and self-discipline.
to stop yourself doing or saying something, especially something that might have a harmful result: · I was tempted to stay for another drink, but in the end I restrained myself and went home.restrain yourself from: · So far I have managed to restrain myself from phoning up to complain.
to suddenly start to control yourself after you have been very sad or upset and make yourself feel better again: · You've been in this mood for days now -- I wish you'd snap out of it.· He's so depressed. He doesn't seem able to snap out of it at all.
spoken say this when you want someone to stop behaving in a very emotional way, especially when they are so frightened or upset that they cannot control the way they are behaving: · Come on, calm down, get a grip on yourself.· Occasionally Georgie would find Tommy crying, and he'd tell him to get a grip on himself.
spoken say this when you want someone to stop behaving emotionally, especially when you are a little annoyed or embarrassed at the way they are behaving: · Pull yourself together. It's ridiculous to get upset about such a silly little thing.· His father was not one to hand out sympathy, but would simply tell him to "pull himself together".
WORD SETSaperture, nounblow-up, nounboom, nouncamera, nouncassette, nouncheesecake, nounclose-up, nouncomposition, nouncrop, verbdaguerrotype, noundarkroom, noundevelop, verbdeveloper, nounemulsion, nounenlargement, nounenlarger, nounexpose, verbexposure, nounfilm, nounfish-eye lens, nounfix, verbfixative, nounflash, nounflash bulb, nounflashgun, nounframe, nounglossy, noungrainy, adjectivehalftone, nounhighlight, nounhologram, nounlens, nounlight meter, nounmagic lantern, nounnegative, nounoverexpose, verbover-exposure, nounphoto, nounphoto-, prefixphoto booth, nounphotocall, nounphotocopier, nounphotograph, nounphotograph, verbphotographer, nounphotographic, adjectivephotosensitive, adjectivephotosensitize, verbphoto shoot, nounplate, nounPolaroid, nounpose, verbpose, nounprint, verbprint, nounprocess, verbreproduce, verbretake, nounretouch, verbshade, nounshot, nounshutter, nounshutterbug, nounsitting, nounslide, nounsnap, verbsnap, nounsnapshot, nounsoft focus, nounspeed, nounstereoscopic, adjectivesubject, nountelephoto lens, nounthread, verb3-D, adjectivetime-lapse, adjectivetransparency, nountripod, noununderexpose, verbunload, verbview, nounviewer, nounviewfinder, nounwide-angle lens, nounzoom lens, noun
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRY
She snapped her briefcase shut. Something inside him snapped, and he hit her. Chantal’s been depressed for days. I wish she’d snap out of it.COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES
(=break into two pieces) The teacher snapped the chalk in two and gave me a piece.
The teacher snapped the chalk in two and gave me a piece. She snapped her briefcase shut. Something inside him snapped, and he hit her. Chantal’s been depressed for days. I wish she’d snap out of it. (=find one)· You can often pick up a bargain at an auction.
(=a short period of very cold weather)· There had been a sudden cold snap just after Christmas.
(=one that you make extremely quickly)· Police officers often have to make snap decisions on how to act.
(=made quickly)· In my business, I often have to make snap judgments about people.
(=they suddenly show their anger)· Celia's patience snapped when he dropped a second glass of wine on the carpet.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSADVERB· His opponent's head snapped back over the edge of the drop and was still.· Since then, my head has snapped back fast enough to get a serious case of whiplash.· She'd have done better to snap back at him the way he'd snapped at her!· The first few days, even the first week, can be very disorienting, and then things snap back into focus.· Though depressed, they may snap back when least expected.
· He snapped off a shot, hardly even bothering to point the gun before he squeezed the trigger.· There was an available seat, a metal kitchen chair with its back snapped off.· And then, finally, he would have snapped off their arms and legs and used their torsos for planting geraniums.· Screams rang out in some hallways when the lights snapped off.· The light trained on his bed snaps off.· I reacted so fast that our Huey snapped off the ground.· Margaret and Jack Carolan, from Huyton, had sneaked a camera inside and were snapping off shots as keepsakes.· They either snap off in the middle or just fall over of their own weight.
· He shouted for the doors to be opened and of course they snapped open as usual.· She snapped open her handbag blindly with a sense of gathering panic.· Then the Prophet's eyes snapped open again and the pleading was gone.
· Take care with the magnets by the way, as allowing them to snap together causes them to break.· He felt yet another ingredient must be missing which prevented a living system from snapping together.· She saw his face change, his brows snap together.
· It shot ahead by more than 34 points to a new all-time peak of 2842.0 with buyers snapping up anything that moved.· Sometimes during a science test, his head would snap up as quickly as if he had a sudden toothache.· Free-market reforms have nurtured a burgeoning middle class and even some super rich, both snapping up the latest in electronics.· House for £1 deposit FIRST-TIME buyers are queueing to snap up homes for a £1 down-payment.· Margaret Thatcher's governments encouraged the old nationalised industries to sell derelict sites which retailers snapped up for building superstores.· Because of its popularity, many of the association's new homes have already been snapped up.· He always laughed noiselessly, his jaw snapping up and down as he took in great gulps of air.
NOUN· Each man would snap smartly to attention and then they would climb aboard the fire engine and ride through the town.· We were soaking in this scenery when we were snapped back to attention by an approaching rapid.
· Those riverbeds could snap an axle as crisply as the way that Zervos snapped his fingers when he danced.· I snapped my finger in front of his eyes, and a trance was broken.· He relished the image, saw it clearly, felt the tendons on Carter's neck snapping under his fingers.· One of the guys snaps his fingers, and the nearest workman veers in a sharp turn and sprints to his side.· He snapped his fingers at the barmaid and ordered a brandy.· Five minutes into the First Act Dotty Blundell forgot her lines and snapped her fingers for a prompt.· Zak was nodding his mop of curls beside me and had begun snapping his fingers rather fast.· He gave a royal snort, either of disappointment or relief, and snapped his fingers for another round of wine.
· His opponent's head snapped back over the edge of the drop and was still.· Since then, my head has snapped back fast enough to get a serious case of whiplash.· And Nurse Cohen above him, her head snapped back by a blow and the blood splintering from it.· His head snapped violently and twisted to follow it, as though it had tethered him, looped around his neck.· Suddenly Satan's head snapped up, ears erect.· Cocking her head, she snapped the fan shut and pointed it at him.· As a player Souness has a highly flammable temper; when he loses the head, something snaps.· Pricey stopped with a jolt, his head snapped back, his jaw snapped shut.
· It's touted as the cheaper alternative to Photoshop, and is snapping at the heels of the industry benchmark.· I've the problems of the world on my shoulders and the Captain snapping at my heels.· As night fell the Empire army was in full retreat with wolf riders snapping at their heels.
· His patience snapped with the vodka advert.· I held Jack, and together we smiled at the camera. Patience snapped the shutter.
PHRASES FROM THE ENTRY► snap to attentionPHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
1- Come on, snap to it, get that room cleaned up!
- The heat shimmering over the asphalt had no snap to it; time drifted by.
- He gave a royal snort, either of disappointment or relief, and snapped his fingers for another round of wine.
- One of the guys snaps his fingers, and the nearest workman veers in a sharp turn and sprints to his side.
- The nurse snapped her fingers, and they sprang into motion.
- Those riverbeds could snap an axle as crisply as the way that Zervos snapped his fingers when he danced.
- Those were the times when a hunter found out how good he was.. Granny snapped her fingers.
- When finished, each boy was to raise his hand and snap his fingers to be acknowledged.
- Zak snapped his fingers even faster and started humming.
- Zak was nodding his mop of curls beside me and had begun snapping his fingers rather fast.
- A geek is a carnival performer who bites the heads off live chickens and snakes.
- He had no right to bite the head off one of his staunchest friends.
- I could have bitten her head off.
- Just to bite their heads off.
- Not two minutes in his company and she was biting his head off.
- The gusts are becoming malevolent, snapping the heads off the waves like daisies.
- This Katherine bites the heads off rag-dolls and threatens her sister Bianca with a pair of pinking shears.
- You could trust him not to take the mickey, or to turn round and bite your head off.
break [intransitive, transitive] to break with a sudden sharp noise, or to make something do this: A twig snapped under my feet. The wind snapped branches and power lines.snap (something) off (something) I snapped the ends off the beans and dropped them into a bowl.snap (something) in two/in half (=break into two pieces) The teacher snapped the chalk in two and gave me a piece.► see thesaurus at break2move into position [intransitive, transitive always + adverb/preposition] to move into a particular position suddenly, making a short sharp noise, or to make something move like thissnap together/back etc The pieces just snap together like this. The policeman snapped the handcuffs around her wrist.snap (something) open/shut She snapped her briefcase shut.3say something angrily [intransitive, transitive] to say something quickly in an angry way: ‘What do you want?’ Mike snapped.snap at He snapped at Walter for no reason.4become angry/anxious etc [intransitive] to suddenly stop being able to control your anger, anxiety, or other feelings in a difficult situation: The stress began to get to her, and one morning she just snapped. Something inside him snapped, and he hit her.5animal [intransitive] if an animal such as a dog snaps, it tries to bite yousnap at The dog started snapping at my heels.6photograph [intransitive, transitive] informal to take a photograph: Dave snapped a picture of me and Sonia.7snap your fingers to make a short sharp noise by moving one of your fingers quickly against your thumb, for example in order to get someone’s attention or to mark the beat of music8snap to it spoken used to tell someone to hurry and do something immediately: Come on, snap to it – get that room cleaned up!9stop [transitive] American English to end a series of events – used especially in newspapers: The Rockets snapped a seven-game losing streak by beating Portland.10snap to attention if soldiers snap to attention, they suddenly stand very straight → snap-onsnap on/off phrasal verb to switch something on or off, or to switch on or off: A light snapped on in one of the huts.snap something ↔ on/off Kathy snapped off the light.snap out of something phrasal verb to stop being sad or upset and make yourself feel better: Chantal’s been depressed for days. I wish she’d snap out of it.snap somebody/something ↔ up phrasal verb1to buy something immediately, especially because it is very cheap: People were snapping up bargains.2to eagerly take an opportunity to have someone as part of your company, team etc: Owen was snapped up by Liverpool before he’d even left school.snap1 verbsnap2 nounsnap3 adjectivesnap4 interjection
snapsnap2 noun 1sound [singular] a sudden loud sound, especially made by something breaking or closing: He shut the book with a snap.2photograph [countable] especially British English informal a photograph taken quickly and often not very skilfully SYN snapshot: holiday snaps3be a snap American English informal to be very easy to do: The test was a snap.4clothing [countable] American English a small metal fastener on clothes that works when you press its two parts together SYN press stud British English: baby clothing with snaps5a snap of somebody’s fingers a sudden sound made by quickly moving one of your fingers against your thumb: At a snap of his owner’s fingers, the dog came running.6game [uncountable] a card game in which players put down one card after another and try to be the first to shout ‘Snap!’ when there are two cards that are the same → cold snapsnap1 verbsnap2 nounsnap3 adjectivesnap4 interjection
snapsnap3 adjective 1snap judgment/decision a judgment or decision made quickly, without careful thought or discussion2snap election British English an election that is announced suddenly and unexpectedlysnap1 verbsnap2 nounsnap3 adjectivesnap4 interjection
snapsnap4 interjection 1British English used when you see two things that are exactly the same: Hey, snap! My hat’s the same as yours.2said in the game of snap when two cards that are the same are put down