snap out of

snap (one) out of (something)

To cause one to abruptly recover from some negative or undesirable condition, emotion, or situation. I was in a state of shock after the crash, but hearing my daughter's cries snapped me out of it. The president's emergency funding measures seem to have snapped the country out of the recession.See also: of, out, snap

snap out of (something)

To suddenly recover or be freed from some negative or undesirable condition, emotion, or situation. Alex has been really gloomy lately. I hope he snaps out of it soon, because we'll need him to present our project to the supervisor next week. The company is hoping to snap out of their recent sales slump with the launch of their latest smartphone.See also: of, out, snap

snap something out of something

 and snap something outto remove something from something, causing an audible snap. Jeff snapped the plastic plug out of the socket. He snapped out the plug.See also: of, out, snap

snap out of something

Fig. to become suddenly freed from a condition. (The condition can be a depression, an illness, unconsciousness, etc.) I was very depressed for a week, but this morning I snapped out of it. It isn't often that a cold gets me down. Usually lean snap out of it quickly.See also: of, out, snap

snap out of

Suddenly recover, as in You can't expect an entire economy to snap out of the doldrums overnight. This expression is also put as an imperative, Snap out of it! telling someone to return to his or her normal state of mind from an undesirable condition such as grief, self-pity, or depression; for example, Snap out of it, Stella; it's over and done with. [1920s] See also: of, out, snap