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
John Bacon, USA TODAY, 22 Jan. 2025
Up to 10 inches of snow are possible in some places where far smaller accumulations can snarl everyday life.
—Nazaneen Ghaffar, New York Times, 20 Jan. 2025
Emily Brooks, The Hill, 21 Jan. 2025
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, 15 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for snarl 
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Verb
The storm began its march Tuesday in Texas, blanketing highways and snarling traffic before making its way east.
—John Bacon, USA TODAY, 22 Jan. 2025
Up to 10 inches of snow are possible in some places where far smaller accumulations can snarl everyday life.
—Nazaneen Ghaffar, New York Times, 20 Jan. 2025
Noun
Number 2, there are going to be snarls along the way.
—Emily Brooks, The Hill, 21 Jan. 2025
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, 15 Jan. 2025
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 29 Jan. 2025.
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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