Synonyms of snatch

snatch 1 of 2

verb

ˈsnach 

as in to grab

to take physical control or possession of (something) suddenly or forcibly

the brazen seagull snatched the french fry right from my hand

Synonyms & Similar Words

• grab
• catch
• seize
• get
• capture
• snag
• land
• nab
• trap
• snare
• hook
• take hold (of)
• corral
• grapple
• snap (up)
• net
• bag
• rap
• nail
• cop
• collar
• nobble
• glom
• hold
• grasp
• rope
• clutch
• arrest
• detain
• apprehend
• glove
• grip
• secure
• kidnap
• fist
• lasso
• corner
• clasp
• bay
• wrest
• abduct
• rend
• ensnare
• entrap
• fasten (on)
• halter
• latch (on or onto)
• entangle
• mesh
• enmesh
• spirit (away or off)
• immesh

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• miss
• release
• free
• discharge
• drop
• liberate
• loosen
• unhand

snatch

2 of 2

noun

slang

as in kidnaping

the unlawful or forcible carrying away of a person or animal

to the police chief, it didn't look like a snatch, but another case of a bride-to-be getting cold feet

Synonyms & Similar Words

• kidnaping
• abduction
• kidnapping
• rape
• hijacking
• highjacking
• seizure
• impressment
• shanghaiing

Synonym Chooser

How is the word snatch different from other verbs like it?

Some common synonyms of snatch are clutch, grab, grasp, seize, and take. While all these words mean "to get hold of by or as if by catching up with the hand," snatch suggests more suddenness or quickness but less force than seize.

snatched a doughnut and ran

When is it sensible to use clutch instead of snatch?

The words clutch and snatch can be used in similar contexts, but clutch suggests avidity or anxiety in seizing or grasping and may imply less success in holding.

clutching her purse

How are the words grab and snatch related?

Grab implies more roughness or rudeness than snatch.

grabbed roughly by the arm

When would grasp be a good substitute for snatch?

The words grasp and snatch are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, grasp stresses a laying hold so as to have firmly in possession.

grasp the handle and pull

In what contexts can seize take the place of snatch?

While the synonyms seize and snatch are close in meaning, seize implies a sudden and forcible movement in getting hold of something tangible or an apprehending of something fleeting or elusive when intangible.

seized the suspect

When can take be used instead of snatch?

The meanings of take and snatch largely overlap; however, take is a general term applicable to any manner of getting something into one's possession or control.

take some salad from the bowl

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of snatch

Verb

The costly foul occurred at the end of a hectic sequence in which Westbrook snatched what appeared to be a game-clinching steal, only to miss an uncontested layup at the end of a 2-on-1 fast break (reminiscent of Torrey Craig’s blunder against the 2020 Jazz). —Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 2 Apr. 2025

There is little incentive for Russia to kill or snatch U.S. soldiers: A Russian or Belarusian attack on NATO in Lithuania would certainly mean reprisals or worse against Russia, and the escalation would proceed in predictable fashion, until a bad end for Russia at best, and for humanity at worst. —Graeme Wood, The Atlantic, 27 Mar. 2025

Noun

The text, sung by two sopranos, may well have been in Esperanto, as only snatches were decipherable. —Alan G. Artner, chicagotribune.com, 4 June 2017

The beat is now peppy with drum and snatches of piano, a common Beatles rhythm. —Nicholas Dawidoff, The Atlantic, 18 May 2017