snare

1
[ snair ]
/ snɛər /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR snare ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a device, often consisting of a noose, for capturing small game.
anything serving to entrap or entangle unawares; trap.
Surgery. a wire noose for removing tumors or the like by the roots or at the base.

verb (used with object), snared, snar·ing.

to catch with a snare; entangle.
to catch or involve by trickery or wile: to snare her into going.

Origin of snare

1
before 1100; Middle English (noun and v.); cognate with Old Norse snara, Middle Low German snare, Old High German snar(a)ha

SYNONYMS FOR snare

1 See trap1.
2 net, seine.
SEE SYNONYMS FOR snare ON THESAURUS.COM

OTHER WORDS FROM snare

snare·less, adjective snar·er, noun snar·ing·ly, adverb un·snared, adjective

Words nearby snare

snappy, snapshoot, snapshooter, snapshot, snaptin, snare, snare drum, snarf, snark, snarky, snarl

Definition for snare (2 of 2)

snare 2
[ snair ]
/ snɛər /

noun

one of the strings of gut or of tightly spiraled metal stretched across the skin of a snare drum.

Origin of snare

2
1680–90; < Middle Low German snare or Middle Dutch snaer string; replacing Old English snēr string of a musical instrument

Words related to snare

entangle, enmesh, corral, lure, wire, bait, temptation, decoy, trick, enticement, come-on, catch, noose, net, allurement, deception, pitfall, quicksand, entrapment, seduce

Example sentences from the Web for snare

British Dictionary definitions for snare (1 of 2)

snare 1
/ (snɛə) /

noun

a device for trapping birds or small animals, esp a flexible loop that is drawn tight around the prey
a surgical instrument for removing certain tumours, consisting of a wire loop that may be drawn tight around their base to sever or uproot them
anything that traps or entangles someone or something unawares

verb (tr)

to catch (birds or small animals) with a snare
to catch or trap in or as if in a snare; capture by trickery

Derived forms of snare

snareless, adjective snarer, noun

Word Origin for snare

Old English sneare, from Old Norse snara; related to Old High German snaraha

British Dictionary definitions for snare (2 of 2)

snare 2
/ (snɛə) /

noun

music a set of gut strings wound with wire fitted against the lower drumhead of a snare drum. They produce a rattling sound when the drum is beaten See snare drum

Word Origin for snare

C17: from Middle Dutch snaer or Middle Low German snare string; related to Gothic snōrjō basket

Medical definitions for snare

snare
[ snâr ]

n.

A surgical instrument with a wire loop controlled by a mechanism in the handle, used to remove growths, such as tumors and polyps.