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to snap

to snap

3 7.3
Pass the ball backward between the legs to start play
  • verb
  • /snæp/
  • Jargon
: pasar el balón entre las piernas
  • Once the sign is given the center snaps the ball to the quarterback, and the game begins.
  • snap the ball
  • center snaps the ball

Examples

  • The ball is snapped, and the QB fumbles.

  • Tell him to snap it up.

  • All right, snap it up.

  • Okay, you snap it to Brian.

  • All you can do is take a delay of game or snap the ball.

    Blog text (4)
  • They need to snap the ball.

  • Then, once the ball is snapped, see what those defenders do.

    Blog text (29)
  • Once the referee blows the whistle, the center must snap the ball to start the play.

  • The quarterback signaled for the center to snap the ball and launch the offensive move.

  • As soon as the players lined up, the center was ready to snap the ball to begin the next down.

Idioms

in a snap
  • Informal
2 3.0

It happens very quickly with little effort

Happens very quickly

1 8.0

To speak to someone in a sudden angry way without good reason

Phrasal Verbs

21 3.7

Buy something quickly before other people do

18 3.5

To break a piece from something with a quick, sharp movement

13 4.3

Bite quickly with a short, sharp movement of the mouth

to snap back
  • Informal
10 3.8

Get better quickly after a setback or illness

Compounds

7 3.2

A short sudden time of very cold weather that is colder than usual

snap judgment
  • Informal
6 4.8

A quick decision made without careful thought that may be unfair

3 3.3

A pea with crisp pods you eat whole

2 2.3

A small crisp round cookie with ginger and warm spices

A sweet pea with a crisp round pod that you can eat whole, raw or cooked

1 2.7

A tender green bean you eat young that breaks easily and has no strings

1 8.8

The edge of a hat that can be turned up on one side and down on the other

1 8.2

A quick picture taken to show a happy moment

A hat with a brim you can turn up or down

snap roll
  • Specialized
1 9.0

A very quick, complete rotation of a plane around its nose-to-tail line while flying straight

snap fastener
  • Specialized
1 3.4

A small thing on clothes or bags that joins two pieces by pressing two round parts together

snap line
  • Specialized
1 5.6

A string with chalk on it that you stretch and snap to mark a straight line

snap ring
  • Specialized
1 6.0

A metal loop with a spring clip for quickly attaching rope or gear

8.6

A large willow tree with stiff branches that break easily

A quick, funny talk where people tease each other playfully

9.1

Short lively talk where people answer each other quickly

Surface Forms

snap infinitive
snapped past
snapped past participle
snapping present participle
snaps third person singular

Etymology

Snap as a football verb comes from the fast, sharp motion that begins a play, so to snap the ball is to pass it backward quickly in one movement.