Snarl

/ˈsnɑː(ɹ)l/ · verb

Meaning

(transitive) To entangle; to complicate; to involve in knots..

Definitions by Sense

1. (transitive) To entangle; to complicate; to involve in knots.
2. (intransitive) To become entangled.
3. (transitive) To place in an embarrassing situation; to ensnare; to make overly complicated.
4. (transitive, intransitive) To be congested in traffic, or to make traffic congested.
5. To form raised work upon the outer surface of (thin metal ware) by the repercussion of a snarling iron upon the inner surface; to repoussé
6. A knot or complication of hair, thread, or the like, difficult to disentangle.
7. An intricate complication; a problematic difficulty; a knotty or tangled situation.
8. A slow-moving traffic jam.

Example Sentences

to snarl a skein of thread

And from her backe her garments she did teare, / And from her head oft rent her snarled heare[…]

November 9, 1550, Hugh Latimer, Sermon Preached at Stanford [the] question that they would have snarled him with

The biggest cities feel the most acute impact of the last mile – of the squads of trucks and vans, the parcel hubs and sorting centres, the parking snarls and the discarded boxes.

It is malicious and unmanly to snarl at the little lapses of a pen, from which Virgil himself stands not exempted.

Synonyms for snarl

Antonyms for snarl

Related Words

Word Forms

• snarls
• snarling
• snarled

Usage Notes

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

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