snarled; snarling; snarls
1
: to cause to become knotted and intertwined : tangle
2
: to make excessively complicated
: to become snarled
1
: a tangle especially of hairs or thread : knot
2
: a tangled situation
traffic snarls
snarled; snarling; snarls
1
: to growl with a snapping, gnashing, or display of teeth
2
: to give vent to anger in surly language
: to utter or express with a snarl or by snarling
Synonyms
Verb (1)
Noun (1)
Verb (2)
Examples of snarl in a Sentence
Verb (1)
you'll be awfully sorry if you snarl your fishing line
Noun (1)
to no avail, the city promotes carpooling to help ease the traffic snarls that always accompany rush hour
Verb (2)
she snarled at me after I kept badgering her with questions
Recent Examples on the Web
Erik Ortiz, NBC News, 2 Nov. 2024
Traffic was predictably snarled in the morning as drivers had to find new ways across the river.
—Haadiza Ogwude, The Enquirer, 1 Nov. 2024
Trefis Team, Forbes, 1 Nov. 2024
At the same time, many factors that affect the nation's economic performance are beyond the president's control, from shocks like Russia's invasion of Ukraine to the pandemic's supply-chain snarls, which contributed to the highest U.S. inflation in 40 years.
—Aimee Picchi, CBS News, 29 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for snarl 
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Verb
Many of the co-defendants have been jailed since 2022, and while the trial began with jury selection in early 2023, proceedings were snarled after some of them took plea deals or chose to have their cases tried separately.
—Erik Ortiz, NBC News, 2 Nov. 2024
Traffic was predictably snarled in the morning as drivers had to find new ways across the river.
—Haadiza Ogwude, The Enquirer, 1 Nov. 2024
Noun
Early 2021: Shipping snarls and worker shortages from the coronavirus pandemic continue to hurt the supply
April 2021: Inflation rates cross 4% and increase rapidly
Early 2022: Energy and food prices spike due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
—Trefis Team, Forbes, 1 Nov. 2024
At the same time, many factors that affect the nation's economic performance are beyond the president's control, from shocks like Russia's invasion of Ukraine to the pandemic's supply-chain snarls, which contributed to the highest U.S. inflation in 40 years.
—Aimee Picchi, CBS News, 29 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for snarl
Dictionary Entries Near snarl
Cite this Entry
“Snarl.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/snarl. Accessed 16 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
snarl
1 of 4 noun1
: a tangle especially of hairs or thread : knot
2
: a tangled situation
a traffic snarl
snarl
2 of 4 verb
: to get into a tangle
snarl
3 of 4 verb1
: to growl with a snapping or showing of teeth
2
: to speak in an angry way
3
: to utter with a snarl
snarler
noun
snarl
4 of 4 noun
: an angry growl
Etymology
Noun
Middle English snarle "snare, noose," probably from snarlen "to trap, entangle"
Verb
from obsolete snar "to growl"
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