snatch
part of speech
verb (snatch, snatches, snatched, snatching); noun (a snatch, snatches)
meaning for a pupil
1) To grab something quickly and roughly: "He snatched the ball from me." tree →
2) To steal something by grabbing it: "A thief snatched her bag." tree →
3) To take something quickly when you have the chance: "snatch some sleep". tree →
4) As a noun, a small part of something you hear: "a snatch of a song". tree →
sense in the lessons
In everyday life and manners, pupils learn not to snatch toys but to ask and share. In safety lessons, they learn to hold bags and phones close in crowds because thieves may snatch them. Phrases: snatch away, snatch up, bag snatcher.
examples
- Do not snatch; ask nicely. tree →
- The seagull snatched my chips! tree →
- A thief snatched a phone from the table. tree →
- She snatched up her coat and ran out. tree →
- We snatched a quick lunch between games. tree →
- I heard a snatch of music through the window. tree →
- The goalkeeper snatched the ball out of the air. tree →
- They snatched spears and shields from their foes. tree →
note
Regular verb: snatch, snatched; third person "snatches". A "snatcher" is a person who grabs and steals. Snatching is rude and can hurt; in a quarrel, use words and ask an adult. Safety: if someone snatches your things, let them go and tell an adult; your safety matters more than things.
In the corpora
- Gulls are bold and clever, and they learn that people carry food, so some snatch chips and sandwiches at the seaside.
- In autumn farmers plough and sow winter wheat or barley, and gulls and rooks follow the plough to snatch worms and grubs.
- After the second snatch Alice thinks "I'm sure I don't want to stay in here any longer!"
- Feeding seagulls teaches them to snatch food, so you eat in a sheltered spot and do not feed them.
- At the seaside a gull snatches a chip out of Chloe's hand.
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «snatch» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.