Snag

/ˈsnæɡ/ · noun

Meaning

A stump or base of a branch that has been lopped off; a short branch, or a sharp or rough branch..

Definitions by Sense

1. A stump or base of a branch that has been lopped off; a short branch, or a sharp or rough branch.
2. A dead tree that remains standing.
3. A tree, or a branch of a tree, fixed in the bottom of a river or other navigable water, and rising nearly or quite to the surface, by which boats are sometimes pierced and sunk.
4. (by extension) Any sharp protuberant part of an object, which may catch, scratch, or tear other objects brought into contact with it.
5. A tooth projecting beyond the others; a broken or decayed tooth.
6. (figuratively) A problem or difficulty with something.
7. A pulled thread or yarn, as in cloth; a tear.
8. One of the secondary branches of an antler.

Example Sentences

The coat of arms / Now on a naked snag in triumph borne.

‘A’most used-up I am, I do declare!’ she observed. ‘The jolting in the cars is pretty nigh as bad as if the rail was full of snags and sawyers.’

[…]I watched for sunken stones; I was learning to clap my teeth smartly before my heart flew out, when I shaved by a fluke some infernal sly old snag that would have ripped the life out of the tin-pot steamboat and drowned all the pilgrims;[…]

To ſee our Women's Teeth look white. / And ev'ry ſaucy ill-bred Fellow / Sneers at a Mouth profoundly yellow. / In China none hold Women ſweet, / Except their Snags are black as jett.

we hit a snag

The snag in this business of falling in love, aged relative, is that the parties of the first part so often get mixed up with the wrong parties of the second part, robbed of their cooler judgment by the parties of the second part's glamour.

Scarcity of outstanding content viewed as snag for unproved and highly priced Vision Pro device[.]

Be careful not to snag your stockings on that concrete bench!

Synonyms for snag

Antonyms for snag

Related Words

Word Forms

• snags
• snagging
• snagged
• SNAG

Usage Notes

Choose a synonym only when it preserves the intended meaning, tone, and grammar of the full sentence.

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