snipe

1 of 2

noun

plural snipes
1
or plural snipe : any of various usually slender-billed birds of the sandpiper family
especially : any of several game birds (especially genus Gallinago) especially of marshy areas
2
: a contemptible person

snipe

2 of 2

verb

sniped; sniping

intransitive verb

1
: to shoot at exposed individuals (as of an enemy's forces) from a usually concealed point of vantage
2
: to aim a carping or snide attack
sniper noun

Examples of snipe in a Sentence

Verb Enemy fighters sniped at them from vacant buildings. One of the senators sniped, “What does he think this is, a monarchy?”.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Nothing about the original snipe was surprising or subtle. Philip Elliott / Detroit, TIME, 19 Oct. 2024 Scarlett Johansson is using her very real voice to virtual snipe at OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. Greg Evans, Deadline, 17 July 2024
Verb
That’s really all there is to it, but Justin Piasecki’s knotted script absolutely delights in the process of Ash’s work, and in the gamesmanship that makes Worthington’s crew so eager to sniff him out and snipe his leverage. David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 9 Sep. 2024 Through it all, Musk himself kept up the commentary on his profile, promising a new and improved app, posting cringeworthy memes, sniping at his critics, and mixing it up with his new MAGA-world friends while amplifying their false claims and conspiracy theories. Miles Klee, Rolling Stone, 17 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for snipe 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'snipe.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, probably of Scandinavian origin; akin to Old Norse snīpa snipe; akin to Old High German snepfa snipe

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1832, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of snipe was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near snipe

Cite this Entry

“Snipe.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/snipe. Accessed 4 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

snipe

1 of 2 noun
plural snipes or snipe
: any of several birds that have a long slender bill, live mostly in marshy areas, and are related to the sandpipers

snipe

2 of 2 verb
sniped; sniping
1
: to shoot at exposed individuals of an enemy's forces from a usually concealed point
2
: to attack with unfair or cutting remarks
sniper noun

More from Merriam-Webster on snipe

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