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

Verb

Earlier, snow and ice coincided with the morning commute hours, snarling traffic, including in major cities such as Philadelphia, New York City, Washington. —

Christopher Cann, USA TODAY, 25 June 2024 Hochul’s office said the weather would likely snarl commutes on Wednesday and Thursday. —

Tim Balk, New York Daily News, 2 Apr. 2024

Noun

While McLaren’s familiar V-8 is all baritone bark and induction whoosh, this engine has a much higher, clearer tenor—culminating in a feral snarl as the needle nears the 8,500 rpm limiter. —

Tim Pitt, Robb Report, 2 July 2024 Its body is covered in matted fur, and its snout appears frozen in a fang-baring snarl. —

Brendan Rascius, Miami Herald, 28 June 2024 See all Example Sentences for snarl

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'snarl.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb (1)

Middle English, to trap, entangle, probably frequentative of snaren to snare

Noun (1)

Middle English snarle snare, noose, probably from snarlen, verb

Verb (2)

frequentative of obsolete English snar to growl; akin to Middle Low German snorren to drone, rattle

First Known Use

Verb (1)

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Noun (1)

1609, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb (2)

1589, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Noun (2)

1613, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler

The first known use of snarl was in the 14th century

See more words from the same century

Cite this Entry

Style

“Snarl.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/snarl. Accessed 15 Jul. 2024.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

snarl

1 of 4 noun

ˈsnär(-ə)l

: a tangle especially of hairs or thread : knot

: a tangled situation

a traffic snarl

snarl

2 of 4 verb

: to get into a tangle

snarl

3 of 4 verb

: to growl with a snapping or showing of teeth

: to speak in an angry way

: 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"

Last Updated: 11 Jul 2024 - Updated example sentences

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snarl

verb (1)

noun (1)

verb (2)

noun (2)

Synonyms

Examples of snarl in a Sentence

Word History

Dictionary Entries Near snarl

Cite this Entry

Kids Definition