🎯 A hidden shooter ⏰ A last-second bidder

sniper

4 5.6

Someone or a program that places a bid at the last second to win an online auction

noun
/ˈsnaɪpər/

Jargon

: pujador de última hora

Compounds

sniper rifle

Specialized

14 5.9

A long gun with a scope for shooting accurately at distant targets

How Late

sniper

Jargon

4 5.6

bidder

73 3.0

Surface Forms

sniper singular

snipers plural

Morphology

sniper = snipe (semi-transparent) = snipe + er

The auction sense is a metaphorical extension from 'shooting from hiding' to making a concealed last-moment bid; the relation is figurative rather than literal.

Etymology

Sniper in auctions borrows the hunting image from the bird snipe: like a hidden shooter, an auction sniper waits until the very 'last moment' to make a surprise bid. So an auction sniper aims to win by stopping others from outbidding them at the final second.