to snatch someone's purse
- phrasal verb
:
arrebatarle el bolso a alguien
- We were walking along the street one day when these two men ran past and snatched my grandmother's purse right from under her arm.
Examples
-
And they snatched her purse right off her arm.
-
We were walking along and two guys snatched her purse.
-
And after a half hour, I completely gave up the idea of snatching her purse.
-
You know you should just snatch some old ladies' purses.
-
Trey said he'd give me $50 if I snatched that lady's purse and take off running.
-
As she was getting into her car, a stranger snatched her purse and ran away quickly.
-
The thief snatched the woman's purse before she even realized what was happening.
-
While the crowd was distracted, he snatched someone's purse and slipped away unnoticed.
Synonyms
∞
1.0
Take something that does not belong to you without permission
696
1.2
To take property illegally from other people using force or threats
136
3.0
To take something quickly with your hand
58
8.4
To steal small things from someone's pocket or bag
49
5.5
To take something quickly without the owner noticing
46
8.6
To steal something quickly or secretly
43
6.1
To get something, often by hunting or by unfair ways
35
8.1
To steal something secretly from a shop or person
34
8.0
Steal something small, often of little value
19
9.0
Take something without permission, often quickly
13
6.5
To take something quickly without the owner's permission, often without being noticed
6
7.5
To take something that is not yours and carry it away without asking
3
9.1
To steal something, especially quickly in a crowded place
1
9.9
To take something quickly, often without permission
To take something quickly often before others notice
To secretly steal something
Antonyms
How Violent
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly derivable from the parts: 'snatch' (to take hold suddenly) + someone's (possessive) + 'purse' (small bag for money) yields a quick forcible taking of a handbag. This is a literal, compositional verb + object construction that is cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents would understand it.
Etymology
The expression snatch someone's purse paints a quick, vivid scene: someone suddenly grabs the small bag, the purse, with a fast tug (to snatch) and runs away. That's why it means 'to steal someone's handbag quickly and without warning'.