snarl

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See also: šnarl

English[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

  • IPA(key): /ˈsnɑː(ɹ)l/
  • Audio (Southern England)(file)
  • Rhymes: -ɑː(ɹ)l

Etymology 1[edit]

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

Verb[edit]

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
  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[edit]
Translations[edit]

Noun[edit]

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[edit]

Etymology 2[edit]

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[edit]

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[edit]
Translations[edit]

Noun[edit]

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[edit]
Translations[edit]

Further reading[edit]

Anagrams[edit]

Icelandic[edit]

Etymology[edit]

Back-formation from snarla.

Pronunciation[edit]

Noun[edit]

snarl n (genitive singular snarls, no plural)

  1. snack (light meal)

Declension[edit]

declension of snarl
n-s singular
indefinite definite
nominative snarl snarlið
accusative snarl snarlið
dative snarli snarlinu
genitive snarls snarlsins

See also[edit]

Middle English[edit]

Alternative forms[edit]

Etymology[edit]

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

Pronunciation[edit]

Noun[edit]

snarl (plural snarles) (rare)

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

Descendants[edit]

  • English: snarl
  • Scots: snarl

References[edit]

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