In or for brief periods of time. I caught the speech in snatches, but the kids were screaming in the other room so I couldn't hear the TV properly.I was so anxious about how to pay for the car repairs that I only slept in snatches.See also: snatch
in ˈsnatches
for short periods rather than continuously: Sleep came to him in brief snatches. OPPOSITE: at a stretchSee also: snatch