as in to bark
to speak sharply or irritably
she snarled at me after I kept badgering her with questions
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as in to knot
to twist together into a usually confused mass
you'll be awfully sorry if you snarl your fishing line
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as in jam
a crowded mass (as of cars) that impedes or blocks movement
to no avail, the city promotes carpooling to help ease the traffic snarls that always accompany rush hour
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Recent Examples of snarl
Tom Rogers, Newsweek, 26 Dec. 2024
The black bear slumped headfirst down and out of the tree and hit limply among the snarling dogs.
—Frank C. Hibben, Outdoor Life, 13 Feb. 2025
Cate Martel, The Hill, 20 Dec. 2024
The fact that inflation started coming down in the second half of 2022, before the Fed’s interest-rate hikes had had much impact on demand, is another strong indication that snarls in supply were primarily to blame for the earlier spike.
—John Cassidy, The New Yorker, 20 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for snarl
Verb
The year-end holiday travel period runs through January 1, and inclement weather across the U.S. was snarling travel by plane and by road the day after Christmas.
—Tom Rogers, Newsweek, 26 Dec. 2024
The black bear slumped headfirst down and out of the tree and hit limply among the snarling dogs.
—Frank C. Hibben, Outdoor Life, 13 Feb. 2025
Noun
The New York Times runs through the potential weather snarls around the U.S. next week.
—Cate Martel, The Hill, 20 Dec. 2024
The fact that inflation started coming down in the second half of 2022, before the Fed’s interest-rate hikes had had much impact on demand, is another strong indication that snarls in supply were primarily to blame for the earlier spike.
—John Cassidy, The New Yorker, 20 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for snarl
Cite this Entry
“Snarl.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/snarl. Accessed 14 Mar. 2025.
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