Did you know?
The origins of snaffle are shrouded in mystery. What we know of its story begins in the 16th century. At that time, snaffle existed as both a noun referring to a simple bit for a horse's bridle and a verb meaning "to fit or equip with a snaffle" or "to restrain or check with or as if with a snaffle." The noun could be from an old German word for "mouth," snavel, but the connection has not been confirmed. The "obtain" meaning of the verb appeared in the early 18th century, and its origins are similarly elusive. Not so mysterious is what happened next to the verb: it developed a meaning of "to steal or rob," at least in British dialects.
Examples of snaffle in a Sentence
Eric Twardzik,
Robb Report,
20 Apr. 2026
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
2 June 2026
That reflects both a continuing surge in transfer values in England and the growing ability and appetite (at least this season) of some clubs to spend big on snaffling stars from Premier League sides with lesser resources.
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Chris Weatherspoon,
New York Times,
9 Feb. 2026
With the huge distributor-producer groups only getting bigger – Banijay is snaffling up libraries, All3Media has a rich new owner – and the Hollywood studios are back in the TV sales business, where does Sphere Abacus sit in the pecking order?
—
Stewart Clarke,
Deadline,
15 Oct. 2024
Cite this Entry
“Snaffle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/snaffle. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.
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