snare 1 of 2

noun

ˈsner How to pronounce snare (audio)
Definition of snarenext
1
as in trap
a device or scheme for capturing another by surprise you fell for my clever snare, you fool!

Synonyms & Similar Words

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2
as in tangle
something that catches and holds someday you'll find that your lies are a snare from which you can't escape

Synonyms & Similar Words

snare

2 of 2

verb

1
as in to trap
to catch or hold as if in a net easily distracted by any bright object that snared his eye

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to grab
to take physical control or possession of (something) suddenly or forcibly campers trying to snare brook trout for supper

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb snare contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of snare are bag, capture, catch, ensnare, entrap, and trap. While all these words mean "to come to possess or control by or as if by seizing," trap, snare, entrap, ensnare imply seizing by some device that holds the one caught at the mercy of the captor. trap and snare apply more commonly to physical seizing.

trap animals
snared butterflies with a net

When is bag a more appropriate choice than snare?

In some situations, the words bag and snare are roughly equivalent. However, bag implies shooting down a fleeing or distant prey.

bagged a brace of pheasants

When is it sensible to use capture instead of snare?

Although the words capture and snare have much in common, capture suggests taking by overcoming resistance or difficulty.

capture an enemy stronghold

When would catch be a good substitute for snare?

The synonyms catch and snare are sometimes interchangeable, but catch implies the seizing of something in motion or in flight or in hiding.

caught the dog as it ran by

How are the words entrap and ensnare related as synonyms of snare?

Both entrap and ensnare more often are figurative.

entrapped the witness with a trick question
a sting operation that ensnared burglars

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of snare
Noun
We all have been bedeviled at times by bureaucratic snafus (and snares), and so improvement is necessary. —John Baldoni, Forbes.com, 26 Apr. 2025 From sticky asphalt graves to dinosaur-eating quicksand, these sites reveal how nature sometimes sets its own snares, and how life—on a mass scale—meets its end. —Scott Travers, Forbes, 21 Mar. 2025
Verb
His case is connected to the same betting ring that snared former NBA player Jontay Porter, who was banned from the league for life. —Joseph Wilkinson, New York Daily News, 30 Jan. 2025 In June In the non-musical play categories, Stranger Things: The First Shadow snared the most nominations, with a total of seven, followed by The Hills of California with six. —Greg Evans, Deadline, 25 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for snare
Recent Examples of Synonyms for snare
  1. trap
  2. tangle
  3. grab
  4. ambush
  5. noose
  6. catch
  7. web
  8. snatch
Noun
  • During their surveys, researchers set up mist nets of various sizes and waited to see what flew into the traps, the study said.
    — Aspen Pflughoeft, Miami Herald, 6 June 2025
  • What seems to be an inert plant, a part of the ecological background, suddenly becomes an inescapable trap.
    — Riley Black, Smithsonian Magazine, 6 June 2025
Definition of trap
Noun
  • Taking inspiration from the CAR T-cell technology used to provide personalized cancer treatments, researchers have conducted a proof-of-concept study showing how similar compounds can precisely target protein tangles and plaques in the brain.
    — Michael Franco, New Atlas, 12 June 2025
  • To get started, take care of the tangles throughout your hair strands.
    — Catharine Malzahn, Glamour, 11 June 2025
Definition of tangle
Verb
  • Appeal To All Five Senses People still like going out, meeting others and grabbing coffee.
    — Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 6 June 2025
  • Scott grabbed some pizza and returned to park her Subaru near the West Shore Market to wait for Serafini.
    — Rosalio Ahumada, Sacbee.com, 6 June 2025
Definition of grab
Noun
  • Three police officers shot in what appears to be a surprise ambush at the scene of a grisly murder.
    — Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 4 June 2025
  • Osorio-Ortiz’s arrest warrant, which called the shooting a premeditated ambush, shows the argument centered around Rivera’s 18-year-old son, Josiah Lombillo, who lived with his mother and Osorio-Ortiz, and 20-year-old Keniel Gonzalez.
    — Silas Morgan, The Orlando Sentinel, 23 May 2025
Definition of ambush
Noun
  • Too little, too late, my friend — but at least June looks surprised/appreciative as Lydia is manhandled into a noose of her own.
    — Kimberly Roots, TVLine, 20 May 2025
  • The law holds the boy accountable despite his lack of malice, only for Alec Baldwin — of all people — to save Lucas from a noose by murdering all of his jailers.
    — David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 2 May 2025
Definition of noose
Verb
  • The Ford Canadian executive clearly had been caught by surprise.
    — Bill Koenig, Forbes.com, 16 June 2025
  • However, Trump caught the attention of the Republican Party through his comments regarding Mexican immigration.
    — Ally Goelz, The Washington Examiner, 16 June 2025
Definition of catch
Noun
  • Credential dumps from breached companies are traded daily on the dark web.
    — Zak Doffman, Forbes.com, 6 June 2025
  • Last year, Florida’s Department of Health also experienced a breach that caused death certificate delays and led to thousands of records, including HIV test results, detailed doctors notes and immunization and virus testing records ending up on the dark web.
    — Michelle Marchante, Miami Herald, 6 June 2025
Definition of web
Verb
  • California Burglars clean out father-son jewelers, snatch heirlooms, ‘a lifetime’s worth of work’ May 28, 2025 Nasarenko added that the offenses carried additional enhancements since the burglary drew more than $3 million.
    — Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 13 June 2025
  • The result is, at best, a temporary reprieve snatched out of defeat.
    — The Editors, National Review, 12 June 2025
Definition of snatch

Browse Nearby Words

snap (up)
snare
snared
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Snare.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/snare. Accessed 19 Jun. 2025.

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Nglish: Translation of snare for Spanish Speakers

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