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snare

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verb

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
Murphy’s silken melodies coast under Graham Sayle’s coarse dispatches, while a skittering snare beat propels everything forward. Madison Bloom, Pitchfork, 4 Dec. 2024 Crabbers may not use trap gear, according to the state order; only hoop nets and crab snares will be allowed until further assessment. Linda Zavoral, The Mercury News, 25 Oct. 2024
Verb
Reggie Smith hit a hard grounder down the line that Nettles snared and threw to first to get Smith. Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 31 Oct. 2024 So not until the veteran receiver snared a short pass from Baker Mayfield and took it for a nine-yard gain in the waning moments of Sunday’s 27-19 win over the Saints— cementing Evans’ 11th straight 1,000-yard season — did the Tampa Bay sideline really start to celebrate. Zak Keefer, The Athletic, 6 Jan. 2025 See all Example Sentences for snare 
Recent Examples of Synonyms for snare
Noun
  • Different plants, like nasturtiums, act as effective trap crops by being the more desirable plant for common garden pests — leaving the trap plant to be treated or removed over the one producing food.
    Anthony Reardon, Kansas City Star, 24 Jan. 2025
  • Avoid the trap of short-term gains that compromise long-term viability.
    Karlo Tanjuakio, Forbes, 23 Jan. 2025
Noun
  • The diplomatic tangle was particularly complicated for Italy, which is a historic ally of Washington but maintains good relations with Tehran.
    Nicole Winfield, Los Angeles Times, 8 Jan. 2025
  • Letting the roast simmer for hours in a mixture of pickled jalapeño brine and fish sauce yields a fall-apart tangle of meat that’s wildly good on soft rolls or over piles of rice.
    Margaux Laskey, New York Times, 30 Dec. 2024
Verb
  • Junior forward Lawrence Sallis also grabbed 13 rebounds for the Royals.
    Paul Johnson, Chicago Tribune, 25 Jan. 2025
  • In the hills of the Palisades, near the Temescal Ridge Trail, Alex Emerick, 34, his younger sister, Rainier, and their parents grabbed garden hoses at their home of 33 years.
    Laura J. Nelson, Los Angeles Times, 25 Jan. 2025
Noun
  • Witnesses reported gunfire from multiple directions, suggesting a coordinated ambush.
    Kevin Lynn, Newsweek, 6 Jan. 2025
  • Related Articles East Bay woman accused of elder theft hit with federal charge Elderly man killed in East Bay hit-and-run Oakland saloon hit by gunfire after patron forcibly removed, authorities say After Fremont ambush homicide, police say a lead suspect got a ride to the Mexico border.
    Harry Harris, The Mercury News, 24 Dec. 2024
Noun
  • Mine, on the other hand, could be weaponized into a silk noose.
    Jasper Craven, Harper's Magazine, 23 July 2024
  • Men hold nooses found at Saydnaya military prison near Damascus on Tuesday.
    Richard Engel, NBC News, 10 Dec. 2024
Verb
  • There’s still a chance to catch this a poignant dramedy based on true events.
    Karu F. Daniels, New York Daily News, 23 Jan. 2025
  • Trees must be wrapped in burlap to catch larvae, which are then supposed to be drowned in soapy water or stuffed in the freezer — but the real solution is to simply wait for natural controls, like E. maimaiga, to fight them off, Dwyer explained.
    Tribune News Service, Hartford Courant, 23 Jan. 2025
Noun
  • To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that WATCH Watch the Full Vogue World: London 2023 Show 1/ 12 Watch the Full Vogue World: London 2023 Sho... Vogue World: London Red Carpet Arrivals The Biggest Red Carpet Moments from the 202...
    Vogue, Vogue, 25 Jan. 2025
  • Business TikTok is offline in the U.S. after Supreme Court upholds ban Trump's executive order was enough for Oracle, and other web infrastructure companies, to restore TikTok's services.
    Bobby Allyn, NPR, 25 Jan. 2025
Verb
  • Acclaimed during its 2022 run at the Linda Gross Theater in Manhattan, the piece, which snatched up the Pulitzer Prize in 2023, will once again be directed by Knud Adams, and star Marjan Neshat, Tala Ashe, Hadi Tabbal, Pooya Mohseni, and Ava Lalezarzadeh, all of them making their Broadway debuts.
    Marley Marius, Vogue, 21 Jan. 2025
  • The new program is launching as Fox News is snatching the bulk of viewers who watch cable news.
    Brian Steinberg, Variety, 21 Jan. 2025

Thesaurus Entries Near snare

Cite this Entry

“Snare.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/snare. Accessed 30 Jan. 2025.

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