Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
snatch and run

snatch and run

1 7.3
To steal something quickly and run away
  • noun
translation icon : robo rápido
  • The thief executed a quick snatch and run, grabbing the woman's purse before disappearing down the alley.

Examples

  • Simple snatch and run.

    The Newton Boys (1998)

  • A clear case of snatch and run.

    Fiction book (1992)

  • Witnesses reported a snatch and run where the robber quickly took a laptop from the cafe table.

  • After the snatch and run, the police launched a search for the suspect who fled with the stolen backpack.

Synonyms

theft
vssnatch and run
356 1.1

An act of taking someone else's property without permission to keep it

is a quick grab followed by immediate flight rather than a general taking
stealing
vssnatch and run
5 1.0

Taking something that belongs to another person without permission

involves a rapid grab and immediate escape not just ordinary taking

Antonyms

return
231 1.0

An act of giving something back to its owner

How Quick

snatch and run
1 7.3
shoplifting
43 2.5
burglary
155 3.0

Surface Forms

snatch and run singular
snatch and runs plural

Morphology

snatch + and + run

The meaning is directly derivable from the constituents: 'snatch' (take suddenly) + 'and' (sequence) + 'run' (flee), describing the quick grab followed by immediate flight. This straightforward action-sequence construction is cross-linguistically common and follows normal compositional patterns, so a B1 learner who knows the words would be able to infer the MWE's meaning.

Etymology

Snatch and run shows a clear action: someone quickly snatches, meaning grabs, a bag or phone and then runs away. That's why it means 'a quick theft'.