as in grabbed
to take physical control or possession of (something) suddenly or forcibly
the brazen seagull snatched the french fry right from my hand
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Recent Examples of snatched
Then last June, the Nuggets snatched Wallace back from Minnesota, hiring him as their new co-general manager alongside his friend Ben Tenzer — another longtime Connelly disciple who’d been a steady hand behind the scenes in Denver’s front office since 2013.
—
Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 25 Apr. 2026
Chicago Cubs center fielder Rick Monday snatched an American flag from two men who intended to set it afire during the fourth inning in the outfield at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles.
—Kori Rumore, Chicago Tribune, 25 Apr. 2026
Cubs outfielder Rick Monday raced over between at-bats and snatched the flag from the protesters, handing it over to the Dodgers' dugout.
—Austin Perry Outkick, FOXNews.com, 25 Apr. 2026
Monday, a Marine Corps reservist, ran over, snatched the flag with his right hand, sprinted away and handed it to Dodgers pitcher Doug Rau in the dugout.
—Michael Huntley, Oc Register, 25 Apr. 2026
After being snatched from a Dutch museum in a shocking raid earlier this year, a 2,500-year-old golden helmet has been returned to Romania, reports The Associated Press.
—Devorah Lauter, ARTnews.com, 23 Apr. 2026
How much information was snatched and what’s in it?
—Richard Winton, Los Angeles Times, 10 Apr. 2026
The luckiest fans had already snatched up their tickets on Friday when a new block of tickets was released for purchase by fans who’d registered for the ticket sales lottery.
—Peter Larsen, Daily News, 28 Mar. 2026
For this year, at least, the Big Ten has snatched the March Madness spotlight that was locked on the SEC last year.
—ABC News, 28 Mar. 2026
Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 25 Apr. 2026
Chicago Cubs center fielder Rick Monday snatched an American flag from two men who intended to set it afire during the fourth inning in the outfield at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles.
—Kori Rumore, Chicago Tribune, 25 Apr. 2026
Cubs outfielder Rick Monday raced over between at-bats and snatched the flag from the protesters, handing it over to the Dodgers' dugout.
—Austin Perry Outkick, FOXNews.com, 25 Apr. 2026
Monday, a Marine Corps reservist, ran over, snatched the flag with his right hand, sprinted away and handed it to Dodgers pitcher Doug Rau in the dugout.
—Michael Huntley, Oc Register, 25 Apr. 2026
After being snatched from a Dutch museum in a shocking raid earlier this year, a 2,500-year-old golden helmet has been returned to Romania, reports The Associated Press.
—Devorah Lauter, ARTnews.com, 23 Apr. 2026
How much information was snatched and what’s in it?
—Richard Winton, Los Angeles Times, 10 Apr. 2026
The luckiest fans had already snatched up their tickets on Friday when a new block of tickets was released for purchase by fans who’d registered for the ticket sales lottery.
—Peter Larsen, Daily News, 28 Mar. 2026
For this year, at least, the Big Ten has snatched the March Madness spotlight that was locked on the SEC last year.
—ABC News, 28 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for snatched
Verb
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Investigators later learned Hissom and her male passenger, who was wounded, were caught in a crossfire as a group of four or five men grabbed weapons from a vehicle and began firing at each other.—
Darrell Smith,
Sacbee.com,
30 Apr. 2026
-
Aristide then allegedly charged at his brother, grabbed him by the neck and forced him to the ground, according to the report.—
Mauricio Maldonado,
CBS News,
30 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Gonzales drove a first-pitch slider to left, and Church jumped and caught the ball above the top of the 6-foot wall, 373 feet from home plate.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
30 Apr. 2026
-
That’s what kept his head on straight in the trenches, even when his socks got bogged down with mud and soldiers flanked on either side of him caught shrapnel or pneumonia.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
30 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Authorities also seized multiple weapons, ammunition and explosive devices, the military said.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
24 Apr. 2026
-
Some vessels with links to Iran made attempts to move through the strait, but others are staying away after Iran attacked three ships with gunfire earlier this week and seized two more.—
NPR Staff,
NPR,
24 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Snatched.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/snatched. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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