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
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
Theresa Braine, New York Daily News, 28 Feb. 2025
The Rottweilers being not actual dogs, but Grant's nickname for the snarling, snapping members of the English press who have been hounding him lately.
—Candace Bushnell, Vogue, 23 Feb. 2025
Katie Van Syckle, New York Times, 22 Feb. 2025
Still, in the cadre of causes (which include supply chain snarls, shifts in demand and spending patterns and Russia’s war in Ukraine) some prominent economists have said the massive fiscal packages passed under Trump and Biden stoked demand.
—Alicia Wallace, CNN, 19 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for snarl
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Verb
The eastbound lanes of I-80 in Wharton have been closed since a sinkhole opened on Feb. 10 near where a previous one had snarled holiday traffic in December.
—Theresa Braine, New York Daily News, 28 Feb. 2025
The Rottweilers being not actual dogs, but Grant's nickname for the snarling, snapping members of the English press who have been hounding him lately.
—Candace Bushnell, Vogue, 23 Feb. 2025
Noun
Image For Meghan, the incident is the latest snarl in her efforts to create a lifestyle brand.
—Katie Van Syckle, New York Times, 22 Feb. 2025
Still, in the cadre of causes (which include supply chain snarls, shifts in demand and spending patterns and Russia’s war in Ukraine) some prominent economists have said the massive fiscal packages passed under Trump and Biden stoked demand.
—Alicia Wallace, CNN, 19 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for snarl
Cite this Entry
“Snarl.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/snarl. Accessed 9 Mar. 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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