snarl

See also: šnarl

English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈsnɑː(ɹ)l/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɑː(ɹ)l

Etymology 1

From Middle English snarlen, frequentative of snaren (“to trap, tangle”). Equivalent to snare +‎ -le.

Verb

snarl (third-person singular simple present snarls, present participle snarling, simple past and past participle snarled)

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

   to snarl a skein of thread

   • 1590, Edmund Spenser, “Book III, Canto XII”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC, stanza 17:

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

2. (intransitive) To become entangled.
3. (transitive) To place in an embarrassing situation; to ensnare; to make overly complicated.
   • November 9, 1550, Hugh Latimer, Sermon Preached at Stanford

     [the] question that they would have snarled him with

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

Derived terms

• ensnarl
• snarl up, snarl-up
• snarling iron
• unsnarl

Translations

to entangle

• Bulgarian: оплитам (bg) (oplitam), омотавам (bg) (omotavam)
• Czech: zamotat pf
• Dutch: verstrikken (nl), strikken (nl)
• Finnish: sotkea (fi)
• German: verheddern (de)
• Hungarian: összegubancol (hu)
• Middle English: snarlen
• Polish: zaplątywać się
• Russian: запу́тывать (ru) impf (zapútyvatʹ), осложня́ть (ru) impf (osložnjátʹ)
• Spanish: enredar (es)

to embarrass

• Bulgarian: обърквам (bg) (obǎrkvam)
• Greek: φερνω κπ σε δυσκολη θεση (ferno kp se dyskoli thesi)
• Middle English: snarlen, snaren

to form raised work upon the outer surface of

Noun

snarl (plural snarls)

1. A knot or complication of hair, thread, or the like, difficult to disentangle.

   Synonym: entanglement

2. An intricate complication; a problematic difficulty; a knotty or tangled situation.

   Synonym: imbroglio

3. A slow-moving traffic jam.
   • 2019 November 21, Samanth Subramanian, “How our home delivery habit reshaped the world”, in The Guardian‎^[1]:

     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.

Translations

knot or complication of hair, thread, or the like, difficult to disentangle

• Bulgarian: омотано кълбо (прежда) (omotano kǎlbo (prežda))
• Czech: změť f, spleť f
• Dutch: knoop (nl) m, knot (nl) m or f
• Finnish: vyyhti (fi), sekasotku (fi)
• French: embrouille (fr) f, sac de nœuds (fr) m (familiar)
• German: wirres Knäuel n
• Hungarian: gubanc (hu)
• Polish: węzeł (pl) m
• Romanian: încurcătură (ro) f
• Russian: у́зел (ru) m (úzel), клубо́к (ru) m (klubók)
• Spanish: enredo (es) m, maraña (es) f,

an intricate complication; a problematic difficulty; a knotty or tangled situation

• Russian: пу́таница (ru) f (pútanica)

Etymology 2

Frequentative of earlier snar (“to growl”), perhaps from Middle Low German snorren (“to drone”), of probably imitative origin. Equivalent to snar +‎ -le. Related to German schnarren (“to rattle”) and schnurren (“to hum, buzz”).

Verb

snarl (third-person singular simple present snarls, present participle snarling, simple past and past participle snarled)

1. (intransitive) To growl angrily by gnashing or baring the teeth; to gnarl; to utter grumbling sounds.
2. (transitive) To complain angrily; to utter growlingly.
3. (intransitive) To speak crossly; to talk in rude, surly terms.
   • 1697, John Dryden, “Preface to the Pastorals, with a Short Defence of Virgil, against Some of the Reflections of Monsieur Fontanelle [i.e., Bernard Le Bovier de Fontenelle]”, in Virgil, translated by John Dryden, The Works of Virgil: Containing His Pastorals, Georgics, and Æneis. […], London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], →OCLC:

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

Derived terms

• snarling
• snarlingly

Translations

To growl

• Bulgarian: ръмжа (bg) (rǎmža), зъбя се (zǎbja se)
• Czech: vrčet (cs) impf, zavrčet (cs) pf
• Dutch: grommen (nl), brommen (nl)
• Finnish: äristä (fi), murista (fi)
• French: grogner (fr)
• German: knurren (de), Zähne fletschen
• Greek: γρυλίζω (el) (grylízo), γρινιάζω (el) (griniázo), εμπλέκομαι (el) (emplékomai), εμπλέκω (el) (empléko), ουρλιάζω (el) (ourliázo)

  Ancient: ἀράζω (arázō)

• Italian: ringhiare (it)
• Latin: ganniō, ringor, hirriō
• Maori: ngara, ngangara
• Polish: warczeć (pl)
• Romanian: mârâi (ro)
• Russian: рыча́ть (ru) (ryčátʹ), огрыза́ться (ru) (ogryzátʹsja), ворча́ть (ru) (vorčátʹ)
• Scottish Gaelic: dèan dranndan
• Spanish: gruñir (es)
• Turkish: hırlamak (tr)

To speak crossly

• Bulgarian: говоря троснато (govorja trosnato)
• Dutch: snauwen (nl)
• Finnish: ärähtää (fi)
• German: anschnauzen (de)
• Polish: odwarkiwać, odburkiwać
• Russian: ворча́ть (ru) (vorčátʹ)
• Scottish Gaelic: dèan dranndan

Noun

snarl (plural snarls)

A sphynx snarls at a dog.

1. The act of snarling; a growl; a surly or peevish expression; an angry contention.
2. A growl, for example that of an angry or surly dog, or similar; grumbling sounds.
3. A squabble.

Derived terms

• snarl word

Translations

act of snarling

• Bulgarian: ръмжене n (rǎmžene), зъбене n (zǎbene)
• Czech: zavrčení n, vrčení n
• Finnish: ärinä, murina (fi)
• German: Fletschen n, ärgerliches Knurren n, wütendes Knurren n
• Italian: ringhio (it) m
• Latin: hirritus m
• Polish: warczenie (pl) n, warknięcie (pl) n
• Romanian: mârâit (ro) n
• Russian: ворча́ние (ru) n (vorčánije), рыча́ние (ru) n (ryčánije)
• Scottish Gaelic: dranndan m
• Spanish: gruñido (es) m
• Turkish: homurdanma, homurtu (tr)

Further reading

• “snarl”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• “snarl”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.
• “snarl”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.
• Douglas Harper (2001–2024) “snarl”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.
• “snarl”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.

Anagrams

• larns

Icelandic

Etymology

Back-formation from snarla.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /s(t)nartl/
• Rhymes: -artl

Noun

snarl n (genitive singular snarls, no plural)

1. snack (light meal)

See also

• snakk

Middle English

Alternative forms

• snarle

Etymology

Either from snare +‎ -el or a back-formation from snarlen.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /snarl/

Noun

snarl (plural snarles) (rare)

1. A trap for catching animals.
2. A noose or snare (rope loop)
3. (figuratively) A temptation or peril.

Descendants

• English: snarl
• Scots: snarl

References

• “snarl(e, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.