Snare, n. [AS. sneara cord, a string; akin to D. snoer, G. schnur, OHG. snour a cord, snarahha a noose, Dan. snare, Sw. & Icel. snara, Goth. snrj a basket; and probably also to E. needle. See Needle, and cf. Snarl to entangle.].

A contrivance, often consisting of a noose of cord, or the like, by which a bird or other animal may be entangled and caught; a trap; a gin. [1913 Webster]
Hence, anything by which one is entangled and brought into trouble. [1913 Webster]
"If thou retire, the Dauphin, well appointed,
Stands with the snares of war to tangle thee." [1913 Webster]
The gut or string stretched across the lower head of a drum. [1913 Webster]
An instrument, consisting usually of a wireloop or noose, for removing tumors, etc., by avulsion. [1913 Webster]

Snare drum, the smaller common military drum, as distinguished from the bass drum; -- so called because (in order to render it more resonant) it has stretched across its lower head a catgut string or strings.

Snare, v. t.

To catch with a snare; to insnare; to entangle; hence, to bring into unexpected evil, perplexity, or danger. [1913 Webster]

"Lest that too heavenly form . . . snare them." [1913 Webster]

"The mournful crocodile
With sorrow snares relenting passengers." [1913 Webster]

top

OXFORD DICTIONARY

Snare, n. & v.
--n.
1 a trap for catching birds or animals, esp. with a noose of wire or cord.
2 a thing that acts as a temptation.
3 a device for tempting an enemy etc. to expose himself or herself to danger, failure, loss, capture, defeat, etc.
4 (in sing. or pl.) Mus. twisted strings of gut, hide, or wire stretched across the lower head of a side-drum to produce a rattling sound.
5 (in full snare drum) a drum fitted with snares.
6 Surgery a wire loop for extracting polyps etc.
--v.tr.
1 catch (a bird etc.) in a snare.
2 ensnare; lure or trap (a person) with a snare.

Derivative

snarer n. (also in comb.).

Etymology

OE sneare f. ON snara: senses 4 & 5 prob. f. MLG or MDu.

top

THESAURUS

Snare

abstract, allure, allurement, and, annex, appropriate, bag, bait, bait the hook, baited trap, birdlime, bola, bongo drum, boost, borrow, capture, catch, catch out, catch up, charm, chicane, chicanery, cobweb, come-on, conga, cop, crib, deception, decoy, decoy duck, defraud, dragnet, drawcard, drawing card, drum, drumhead, drumskin, drumstick, embezzle, embrangle, endearment, enmesh, ensnare, ensnarement, ensnarl, entangle, enticement, entoil, entrap, entrapment, enweb, extort, filch, fishhook, fly, foul, gill net, gin, ground bait, harpoon, hook, hook in, inveigle, inveiglement, involve, jazz stick, jig, kettle, kettledrum, land, lariat, lasso, lift, lime, lure, make off with, membranophone, mesh, meshes, nail, net, nip, noose, palm, pilfer, pinch, plug, poach, pound net, purloin, purse seine, rope, run away with, rustle, sack, scrounge, seduce, seducement, seine, seize, shoplift, side drum, snag, snare drum, snarl, snatch, sniggle, snitch, spear, spinner, spread the toils, springe, squid, steal, swindle, swipe, tabor, taboret, tabret, take, tam-tam, tambourine, tangle, tangle up with, tempt, temptation, tenor drum, thieve, timbrel, timpani, toils, tom-tom, trammel, trap, trawl, trip, troll-drum, tymp stick, tympan, tympanon, tympanum, walk off with, war drum, wind, wobbler

top

ROGET THESAURUS

Snare

Error

N error, fallacy, misconception, misapprehension, misstanding, misunderstanding, inexactness, laxity, misconstruction, miscomputation, non sequitur, mis-statement, mis-report, mumpsimus, mistake, miss, fault, blunder, quiproquo, cross purposes, oversight, misprint, erratum, corrigendum, slip, blot, flaw, loose thread, trip, stumble, botchery, slip of the tongue, slip of the lip, Freudian slip, slip of the pen, lapsus linguae, clerical error, bull, haplography, illusion, delusion, snare, false impression, false idea, bubble, self-decit, self-deception, mists of error, heresy, hallucination, false light, dream, fable, bias, misleading, erroneous, untrue, false, devoid of truth, fallacious, apocryphal, unreal, ungrounded, groundless, unsubstantial, heretical, unsound, illogical, inexact, unexact inaccurate, incorrect, indefinite, illusive, illusory, delusive, mock, ideal, spurious, deceitful, perverted, controvertible, unsustainable, unauthenticated, untrustworthy, exploded, refuted, discarded, in error, under an error, mistaken, tripping, out, out in one's reckoning, aberrant, beside the mark, wide of the mark, wide of the truth, way off, far off, astray, on a false scent, on the wrong scent, in the wrong box, outside the ballpark, at cross purposes, all in the wrong, all out, more or less, errare est humanum, mentis gratissimus error, on the dubious waves of error tost, to err is human, to forgive divine, you lie -- under a mistake.

Deception

N deception, falseness, untruth, imposition, imposture, fraud, deceit, guile, fraudulence, fraudulency, covin, knavery, misrepresentation, bluff, straw-bail, straw bid, spoof, delusion, gullery, juggling, jugglery, slight of hand, legerdemain, prestigiation, prestidigitation, magic, conjuring, conjuration, hocus-pocus, escamoterie, jockeyship, trickery, coggery, chicanery, supercherie, cozenage, circumvention, ingannation, collusion, treachery, practical joke, trick, cheat, wile, blind, feint, plant, bubble, fetch, catch, chicane, juggle, reach, hocus, bite, card sharping, stacked deck, loaded dice, quick shuffle, double dealing, dealing seconds, dealing from the bottom of the deck, artful dodge, swindle, tricks upon travelers, stratagem, confidence trick, fake, hoax, theft, ballot-box stuffing, barney, brace game, bunko game, drop game, gum game, panel game, shell game, thimblerig, skin game, snare, trap, pitfall, decoy, gin, springe, springle, noose, hoot, bait, decoy-duck, tub to the whale, baited trap, guet-a-pens, cobweb, net, meshes, toils, mouse trap, birdlime, dionaea, Venus's flytrap, ambush, trapdoor, sliding panel, false bottom, spring-net, spring net, spring gun, mask, masked battery, mine, flytrap, green goods, panel house, Cornish hug, wolf in sheep's clothing, disguise, disguisement, false colors, masquerade, mummery, borrowed plumes, pattes de velours, mockery, copy, counterfeit, sham, make- believe, forgery, fraud, lie, a delusion a mockery and a snare, hollow mockery, whited sepulcher, painted sepulcher, tinsel, paste, junk jewelry, costume jewelry, false jewelry, synthetic jewels, scagliola, ormolu, German silver, albata, paktong, white metal, Britannia metal, paint, veneer, jerry building, man of straw, illusion, ignis fatuus, mirage, deceived, deceiving, cunning, prestigious, prestigiatory, deceptive, deceptious, deceitful, covinous, delusive, delusory, illusive, illusory, elusive, insidious, ad captandum vulgus, untrue, mock, sham, make-believe, counterfeit, snide, pseudo, spurious, supposititious, so-called, pretended, feigned, trumped up, bogus, scamped, fraudulent, tricky, factitious bastard, surreptitious, illegitimate, contraband, adulterated, sophisticated, unsound, rotten at the core, colorable, disguised, meretricious, tinsel, pinchbeck, plated, catchpenny, Brummagem, artificial, synthetic, ersatz, simulated, under false colors, under the garb of, under cover of, over the left, keep the word of promise to the ear and break it t, fronti nulla fides, ah that deceit should steal such gentle shapes, a quicksand of deceit, decipimur specie recti, falsi crimen, fraus est celare fraudem, lupus in fabula, so smooth, he daubed his vice with show of virtue.

Also see definition of "Snare" in Bible Study Dictionaries

For further exploring for "Snare" in Webster Dictionary Online