1
as in traps
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 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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of snares
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
Other finalists included an initiative to upcycle plastic waste collected in Victoria Falls and an AI project that aerially detects wire snares set by poachers.
—Cnt Editors, Condé Nast Traveler, 25 Sep. 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
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
Other finalists included an initiative to upcycle plastic waste collected in Victoria Falls and an AI project that aerially detects wire snares set by poachers.
—Cnt Editors, Condé Nast Traveler, 25 Sep. 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
-
Sticky traps are available at garden centers and from online retailers.—
Jon VanZile,
The Spruce,
30 Jan. 2026
-
As disturbing clues emerge and a shadowy figure traps Whitney in a deadly game of survival, mother and daughter are thrust onto parallel paths of terror.—
Rosy Cordero,
Deadline,
30 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Accessories should be minimal and delicate, to avoid any tangles mid-journey.—
Anna Cafolla,
Vogue,
14 Jan. 2026
-
But the seven-member volunteer commission — long expected to take the reins from OPD’s federal overseers — still seems to be struggling to gain footing within Oakland’s complex bureaucratic tangles.—
Shomik Mukherjee,
Mercury News,
9 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Video shows that in the seconds before Pretti is shot, the 37-year-old ICU nurse grabs the observer’s backpack when he is pulled to the ground by a group of agents.—
Yahya Abou-Ghazala,
CNN Money,
30 Jan. 2026
-
The officer grabs Pretti’s shirt at his chest, pulling him back toward the vehicle as Pretti’s arms flail.—
Michael Biesecker,
Fortune,
29 Jan. 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
-
Curated by Aily Nash and Tyler Wilson, the latter program zoomed in on the myriad entanglements between the bodily and the virtual that are exacerbated by new technologies.—
Farren Fei Yuan,
Artforum,
1 Feb. 2026
-
But the few lessons learned from January’s whirlwind, and indeed Trump’s previous entanglements with Iran, suggest his military options ahead in the Gulf are limited, and far from great.—
Nick Paton Walsh,
CNN Money,
31 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The backstory Faena New York occupies the East Tower of One High Line—a sculptural work by Bjarke Ingels Group whose twisting geometric design catches sunlight like a prism.—
Jessica Chapel,
Condé Nast Traveler,
30 Jan. 2026
-
Sophie’s wonderment at the ornate environment catches Benedict’s attention.—
Olivia Singh,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
In 2018, Honnold’s 3,000-foot ascent of the El Capitan summit’s rock face in Yosemite National Park in California without the use of ropes or nets was chronicled in the Oscar-winning documentary feature Free Solo.—
Tim Lammers,
Forbes.com,
28 Jan. 2026
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Polling finds young Americans often use the term to signal support for stronger safety nets, public healthcare, and checks on corporate power, while still endorsing free enterprise and entrepreneurship.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
28 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Maisie is a throw-away child in 1910, captivated by a poster of a magical French carousel, when an aunt snatches her out of poverty and takes her into the home of her wealthy employer, a British lord.—
Sandra Dallas,
Denver Post,
24 Jan. 2026
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The ribbed-trim detailing already sets it apart, while the subtle shaping at the waist snatches every figure.—
Julia Morlino,
Travel + Leisure,
7 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Snares.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/snares. Accessed 4 Feb. 2026.
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