as in to bark
to speak sharply or irritably
she snarled at me after I kept badgering her with questions
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in to knot
to twist together into a usually confused mass
you'll be awfully sorry if you snarl your fishing line
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in jam
a crowded mass (as of cars) that impedes or blocks movement
to no avail, the city promotes carpooling to help ease the traffic snarls that always accompany rush hour
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of snarl
Joe Hernandez, NPR, 8 Oct. 2025
In 2019, staffing issues at the TSA along with 10 air traffic controllers calling out sick, snarled air traffic, leading to an end to that shutdown.
—Dalia Faheid, CNN Money, 8 Oct. 2025
Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 5 Sep. 2025
The only thing holding this back from a perfect 10/10 score on the hype-o-meter™️ is that there likely won’t be the same level of physicality and snarl of the 4 Nations, due to IIHF rules.
—Shayna Goldman, New York Times, 19 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for snarl
Verb
But before Endurance could reach the shore, it got snarled in dense sea ice in January 1915, leaving the ship and its crew stranded.
—Joe Hernandez, NPR, 8 Oct. 2025
In 2019, staffing issues at the TSA along with 10 air traffic controllers calling out sick, snarled air traffic, leading to an end to that shutdown.
—Dalia Faheid, CNN Money, 8 Oct. 2025
Noun
Some state laws also prevent pharmacists from administering vaccines that haven’t been recommended by ACIP—a snarl that’s prompted pharmacies to limit access to COVID vaccines in more than a dozen states.
—Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 5 Sep. 2025
The only thing holding this back from a perfect 10/10 score on the hype-o-meter™️ is that there likely won’t be the same level of physicality and snarl of the 4 Nations, due to IIHF rules.
—Shayna Goldman, New York Times, 19 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for snarl
Recent Examples of Synonyms for snarl
Noun
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The long jam in ‘Fruit Bat’ came out of an idea from our drummer, who writes a lot of the music.—
Brett Milano,
Boston Herald,
26 Oct. 2025
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And yet, the same could be said whenever the trio is on a bill at a jam-band show, jazz night, or some blues club.—
Garret K. Woodward,
Rolling Stone,
26 Oct. 2025
Noun
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It is also expected to ease the congestion on the Guangdu Bridge and cut travel time between Bali and Tamsui by up to 25 minutes.—
Atharva Gosavi,
Interesting Engineering,
24 Oct. 2025
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European ports like Rotterdam and Antwerp have been slammed with congestion throughout the year due to various labor strikes and disruptions, as well as schedule changes brought upon by the Red Sea diversions.—
Glenn Taylor,
Sourcing Journal,
24 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Snarl.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/snarl. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.
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