snip

1 of 2

noun

ˈsnip 

1

a

: a small piece that is snipped off

also : fragment, bit

b

: a cut or notch made by snipping

c

: an act or sound of snipping

2

: a white or light mark

especially : a white spot between the nostrils of a horse

3

: a presumptuous or impertinent person

especially : an impertinent or saucy girl

4

British : bargain, buy

snip

2 of 2

verb

snipped; snipping

transitive verb

: to cut or cut off with or as if with shears or scissors

snipped the stray threads

specifically : to clip suddenly or by bits

intransitive verb

: to make a short quick cut with or as if with shears or scissors

snipper noun

Synonyms

Noun

• atom
• bit
• crumb
• dribble
• fleck
• flyspeck
• grain
• granule
• molecule
• morsel
• mote
• nubbin
• nugget
• particle
• patch
• scrap
• scruple
• snippet
• speck
• tittle

Verb

• bob
• clip
• crop
• cut
• cut back
• dock
• lop (off)
• nip
• pare
• poll
• prune
• shave
• shear
• trim

Examples of snip in a Sentence

Noun

cleared out the snips of paper that had been clogging the machine

that antique urn that we bought at London's Portobello Road Market was a real snip

Verb

He snipped some fresh herbs from plants on the windowsill.

snipping pictures out of magazines

She snipped at the hanging strings.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

After removing the plant from its nursery container, snip or prune girdling roots and rough up the surface of the root ball with your fingers. —Andy Wilcox, Better Homes & Gardens, 2 Oct. 2024

Just a few units of filler here, a snip and tuck there. —Viv Chen, Vogue, 27 Sep. 2024

Verb

Then, the researchers snipped the bees’ antennae, which are used for smell and continue to be active for some time after removal, and attached electrodes to them. —Elizabeth Gamillo, Smithsonian Magazine, 23 Sep. 2024

Other graves have yielded parts of other buckets that appear to have been purposefully snipped into small fragments before being placed in the ground, Howarth said. —Ashley Strickland, CNN, 10 Aug. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun

from or akin to Dutch & Low German snip; akin to Middle High German snipfen to snap the fingers

First Known Use

Noun

1558, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1586, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Kids Definition

snip

1 of 2 noun

ˈsnip 

1

: a small piece that is snipped off : fragment

2

: an act or sound of snipping

3

: a rude person

snip

2 of 2 verb

snipped; snipping

: to cut or cut off with or as if with shears or scissors

especially : to clip suddenly or by bits