1
as in traps
a device or scheme for capturing another by surprise
you fell for my clever snare, you fool!
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in tangles
something that catches and holds
someday you'll find that your lies are a snare from which you can't escape
Synonyms & Similar Words
1
as in nets
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 grabs
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
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 snares
Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 9 Mar. 2026
Hi-hats and snares appear in fragmentary bursts, icy synths precipitate and evaporate, and Zel slithers wryly in the cut.
—Olivier Lafontant, Pitchfork, 25 Feb. 2026
One photographer visited Uganda and captured the striking image of a mountain of snares, used to trap wildlife and confiscated by the nation’s rangers.
—Charlotte Reck, CNN Money, 4 Feb. 2026
The team used non-invasive survey tools, including 285 hair snares and 135 remote cameras, to collect the information from a 150-square-mile area, the institute said.
—Kerry Breen, CBS News, 29 Jan. 2026
The team gathered their marten data via 285 hair snares (made from PVC pipe) and 135 cameras.
—Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 22 Jan. 2026
Its graphic clarity teems with ornament and glitter, visual intoxications that signal delusions and snares.
—Richard Brody, New Yorker, 17 Jan. 2026
In other parts of the state, hoop nets and crab snares may be used.
—Linda Zavoral, Mercury News, 26 Oct. 2025
But those Prince-like snares are rounded out with a full string orchestra of Swedish musicians.
—Maya Georgi, Rolling Stone, 3 Oct. 2025
Gabrielle Rockson, PEOPLE, 28 Jan. 2026
Maybe Deandre Ayton snares his first signature Lakers moment.
—Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 28 Oct. 2025
Noun
Conservationists-in-the-making can join hands-on efforts like removing poacher snares, clearing invasive plants, or collecting data on endangered species.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 9 Mar. 2026
Hi-hats and snares appear in fragmentary bursts, icy synths precipitate and evaporate, and Zel slithers wryly in the cut.
—Olivier Lafontant, Pitchfork, 25 Feb. 2026
One photographer visited Uganda and captured the striking image of a mountain of snares, used to trap wildlife and confiscated by the nation’s rangers.
—Charlotte Reck, CNN Money, 4 Feb. 2026
The team used non-invasive survey tools, including 285 hair snares and 135 remote cameras, to collect the information from a 150-square-mile area, the institute said.
—Kerry Breen, CBS News, 29 Jan. 2026
The team gathered their marten data via 285 hair snares (made from PVC pipe) and 135 cameras.
—Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 22 Jan. 2026
Its graphic clarity teems with ornament and glitter, visual intoxications that signal delusions and snares.
—Richard Brody, New Yorker, 17 Jan. 2026
In other parts of the state, hoop nets and crab snares may be used.
—Linda Zavoral, Mercury News, 26 Oct. 2025
But those Prince-like snares are rounded out with a full string orchestra of Swedish musicians.
—Maya Georgi, Rolling Stone, 3 Oct. 2025
Verb
Hair snares use tape and wire to collect DNA and other data by collecting a sample of wild animal hair when creatures pass by, according to Popular Science.
—Gabrielle Rockson, PEOPLE, 28 Jan. 2026
Maybe Deandre Ayton snares his first signature Lakers moment.
—Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 28 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for snares
Noun
-
Two electric fly traps were installed inside the facility.—
Sacbee.com,
Sacbee.com,
13 Mar. 2026
-
Air pollution that traps heat also has higher levels of CO2, which plants use to photosynthesize.—
Irene Wright,
USA Today,
12 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Chapek’s woes as Disney chief have been well documented, from his tangles in Florida to an ugly public spat with Scarlett Johansson to alienating top executives by removing creative decision-making authority in a hugely unpopular restructuring.—
Jill Goldsmith,
Deadline,
18 Mar. 2026
-
Fullness and body may come naturally, but so can long drying times, tangles, and frizz.—
Grace McCarty,
Glamour,
17 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
There are some broadly entertaining yet scattershot series of betrayals, shootouts, car chases (and subsequent crashes), though little that actually raises the pulse or grabs your emotions.—
Chase Hutchinson,
IndieWire,
19 Mar. 2026
-
San Francisco's new manager grabs a piece of gum from a dugout basket then heads out onto the grass at Scottsdale Stadium and gets to work.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
19 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
In the months before the surge in operations, police lost 25 armored vehicles to ambushes involving barricades, trenches and Molotov cocktail attacks, authorities said.—
Jacqueline Charles,
Miami Herald,
27 Jan. 2026
-
Hamas has used the tunnels to store weapons, hide hostages and stage ambushes of Israeli soldiers.—
Samuel Granados,
New York Times,
12 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
All of them are caught up in these complicated romantic entanglements.—
Brian Davids,
HollywoodReporter,
10 Mar. 2026
-
Left unmentioned was Duke’s earlier legal entanglements with its men’s lacrosse program.—
Daniel Libit,
Sportico.com,
2 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
As these tools become more integrated into everyday radiology practice, a scan that answers the question it was asked and also catches something else worth knowing becomes less of an aspiration and more of a realistic near-term goal.—
Peter Gunderman,
The Conversation,
18 Mar. 2026
-
The full force of cinema is felt not only in an outstanding sound design, notable in the wondrous opening sequence which catches the cacophony of Mexico’s stunning Oyamel fir forest at dawn.—
John Hopewell,
Variety,
14 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The entire town of Izium is draped in a canopy of anti-drone nets.—
Eleanor Beardsley,
NPR,
17 Mar. 2026
-
Other surgeons shared similar stories of retiring drains in favor of glues and nets after adopting preservation facelift principles.—
Jolene Edgar,
Allure,
16 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Cinematographer Tim Ives snatches his rare opportunities to shoot the beautiful scenery, but most of the pair’s encounters take place in or near Ledger’s orange pickup truck, a totem from the book.—
Amy Nicholson,
Los Angeles Times,
12 Mar. 2026
-
There’s much for delight, but the drama lost steam in a confusing episode near the end, when a Snake (portrayed by Abrahamse) snatches the Prince away.—
Scott Cantrell,
Dallas Morning News,
7 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Snares.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/snares. Accessed 21 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
