snarled; snarling; snarls
1
: to cause to become knotted and intertwined : tangle
2
: to make excessively complicated
: to become snarled
1
: a tangle especially of hairs or thread : knot
2
: a tangled situation
traffic snarls
snarled; snarling; snarls
1
: to growl with a snapping, gnashing, or display of teeth
2
: to give vent to anger in surly language
: to utter or express with a snarl or by snarling
Examples of snarl in a Sentence
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
Greg Cote, Miami Herald, 4 Mar. 2025
The playful sneers of the Scherzo gave way to a snarling, gnashing Intermezzo, the orchestra and especially the low brass giving it their sardonic all.
—Hannah Edgar, Chicago Tribune, 2 Mar. 2025
Darrell Smith, Sacramento Bee, 10 Mar. 2025
Steeves has purposefully added size and snarl to his game over the last two seasons.
—Joshua Kloke, The Athletic, 23 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for snarl
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Verb
The changing face of major college athletics is a snarling one with sharp teeth and a ravenous appetite.
—Greg Cote, Miami Herald, 4 Mar. 2025
The playful sneers of the Scherzo gave way to a snarling, gnashing Intermezzo, the orchestra and especially the low brass giving it their sardonic all.
—Hannah Edgar, Chicago Tribune, 2 Mar. 2025
Noun
Adabi said adding traffic lanes does not necessarily relieve freeway congestion, though that seems to be the most straight-forward approach to solving the snarls.
—Darrell Smith, Sacramento Bee, 10 Mar. 2025
Steeves has purposefully added size and snarl to his game over the last two seasons.
—Joshua Kloke, The Athletic, 23 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for snarl
Cite this Entry
“Snarl.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/snarl. Accessed 23 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
snarl
1 of 4 noun1
: a tangle especially of hairs or thread : knot
2
: a tangled situation
a traffic snarl
snarl
2 of 4 verb
: to get into a tangle
snarl
3 of 4 verb1
: to growl with a snapping or showing of teeth
2
: to speak in an angry way
3
: 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"
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