Snap v. t. [imp. & p. p. Snapped p. pr. & vb. n. Snapping.]
 1. To break at once; to break short, as substances that are brittle.
    Breaks the doors open, snaps the locks.   --Prior.
 2. To strike, to hit, or to shut, with a sharp sound.
 3. To bite or seize suddenly, especially with the teeth.
    He, by playing too often at the mouth of death, has been snapped by it at last.   --South.
 4. To break upon suddenly with sharp, angry words; to treat snappishly; -- usually with up.
 5. To crack; to cause to make a sharp, cracking noise; as, to snap a whip.
    MacMorian snapped his fingers repeatedly.   --Sir W. Scott.
 6. To project with a snap.
 7. Cricket To catch out sharply (a batsman who has just snicked a bowled ball).
 To snap back Football, to roll the ball back with the foot; -- done only by the center rush, who thus delivers the ball to the quarter back on his own side when both sides are ranged in line.
 To snap off. (a) To break suddenly. (b) To bite off suddenly.


 Snap·ping a. & n. from Snap, v.
 Snapping beetle. Zool. See Snap beetle, under Snap.
 Snapping turtle. Zool. (a) A large and voracious aquatic turtle (Chelydra serpentina) common in the fresh waters of the United States; -- so called from its habit of seizing its prey by a snap of its jaws. Called also mud turtle. (b) See Alligator snapper, under Alligator.

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 snap
      n 1: the act of catching an object with the hands; "Mays made the
           catch with his back to the plate"; "he made a grab for
           the ball before it landed"; "Martin's snatch at the
           bridle failed and the horse raced away"; "the
           infielder's snap and throw was a single motion" [syn: catch,
            grab, snatch]
      2: a spell of cold weather; "a cold snap in the middle of May"
      3: tender green beans without strings that easily snap into
         sections [syn: snap bean]
      4: a crisp round cookie flavored with ginger [syn: gingersnap,
          ginger snap, ginger nut]
      5: the noise produced by the rapid movement of a finger from
         the tip to the base of the thumb on the same hand;
         "servants appeared at the snap of his fingers"
      6: a sudden sharp noise; "the crack of a whip"; "he heard the
         cracking of the ice"; "he can hear the snap of a twig"
         [syn: crack, cracking]
      7: a sudden breaking
      8: the tendency of a body to return to its original shape after
         it has been stretched or compressed; "the waistband had
         lost its snap" [syn: elasticity] [ant: inelasticity]
      9: an informal photograph; usually made with a small hand-held
         camera; "my snapshots haven't been developed yet"; "he
         tried to get unposed shots of his friends" [syn: snapshot,
          shot]
      10: a fastener used on clothing; fastens with a snapping sound;
          "children can manage snaps better than buttons" [syn: {snap
          fastener, press stud]
      11: any undertaking that is easy to do; "marketing this product
          will be no picnic" [syn: cinch, breeze, picnic, {duck
          soup, child's play, pushover, walkover, {piece of
          cake]
      12: the act of snapping the fingers; movement of a finger from
          the tip to the base of the thumb on the same hand; "he
          gave his fingers a snap"
      13: (American football) putting the ball in play by passing it
          (between the legs) to a back; "the quarterback fumbled
          the snap" [syn: centering]
      v 1: utter in an angry, sharp, or abrupt tone; "The sales clerky
           snapped a reply at the angry customer"; "The guard
           snarled at us" [syn: snarl]
      2: separate or cause to separate abruptly; "The rope snapped";
         "tear the paper" [syn: tear, rupture, bust]
      3: break suddenly and abruptly, as under tension; "The rope
         snapped" [syn: crack]
      4: move or strike with a noise; "he clicked on the light"; "his
         arm was snapped forward" [syn: click]
      5: snap close with a sound; "The lock snapped shut"
      6: make a sharp sound; "his fingers snapped" [syn: crack]
      7: move with a snapping sound; "bullets snapped past us"
      8: to grasp hastily or eagerly; "Before I could stop him the
         dog snatched the ham bone" [syn: snatch, snatch up]
      9: put in play with a snap; "snap a football"
      10: cause to make a snapping sound; "snap your fingers" [syn: click,
           flick]
      11: lose control of one's emotions; "When she heard that she had
          not passed the exam, she lost it completely"; "When her
          baby died, she snapped" [syn: break down, lose it]
      12: record on photographic film; "I photographed the scene of
          the accident"; "She snapped a picture of the President"
          [syn: photograph, shoot]
      [also: snapping, snapped]


 snapping
      See snap