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Glite Dictionary
to hit a snag

to hit a snag

5 5.5
To meet an unexpected problem that stops progress
  • phrasal verb
  • Informal
translation icon : encontrar un obstáculo
  • - We hit a snag in the Alpine merger.
  • plans hit a snag
  • seems to hit a snag

Now in movies where they're eventually going to work it out, you want to see that that the relationship has has hit a snag in in date night.

Examples

  • I hit a snag.

    The Score (2001)

  • We seem to have hit a snag in your plan.

  • If you hit a snag or anything, let me know.

    10 to Midnight (1983)

  • Everyone hits a snag in their weight loss at approximately the 2-4 week mark.

    Blog text (20)

  • What happens when you hit a snag and you you don't feel like continuing?

  • They hit a snag in Syria with Russia and China drawing red lines, but that has only increased their resolve.

    Blog text (12)

  • Everett, Wash. -- Washington State University's efforts to boost enrollment in engineering courses at its Everett campus have hit a snag.

    Academic text (2016)

  • The investigation appeared to hit a snag when a court employee inadvertently gave a U-T San Diego reporter a search warrant affidavit that a judge had ordered sealed.

    Blog text (25)

  • Negotiations with the White House hit a snag yesterday.

  • The ceremony in Cairo hit a snag when Arafat balked at signing the maps.

Synonyms

to hit a bump
vsto hit a snag
3 5.8

Face a problem that slows progress or makes things harder

is a more serious unexpected obstacle that can significantly impede progress
to hit a roadblock
vsto hit a snag
2 5.3

To face an unexpected problem that prevents progress

is a more general unexpected problem that hinders rather than fully stops progress

Antonyms

smooth sailing
  • Informal
16 2.7

An easy time with no problems

to make headway
9 3.5

To make slow progress when it is difficult

How Blocked

at an impasse
12 6.3
to hit a snag
  • Informal
5 5.5

Surface Forms

hit a snag infinitive
hit a snag past
hit a snag past participle
hitting a snag present participle
hits a snag third person singular

Morphology

hit + a + snag

The noun 'snag' explicitly denotes an unforeseen difficulty and 'hit' commonly extends to mean 'encounter' or 'run into', so 'hit a snag' composes directly to 'encounter a difficulty'. This metaphorical but transparent motion/impact-to-encounter mapping is common across languages and should be inferable by a B1 learner who knows the constituents.

Etymology

The phrase hit a snag comes from boats. A boat would literally hit a hidden tree root or rock called a snag, which could catch the boat and stop it. So, it means 'to meet an unexpected problem' that slows or stops progress.