snarl
/snɑːl/ (bre, ipa) · /snɑːrl/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈsnär(-ə)l/ (ame, mw)
snarl — verb
- snarlpresent simple I / you / we / they
- snarlshe / she / it
- snarledpast simple
- snarling-ing form
1. to make a loud, angry sound in the throat with the teeth showing, like an angry
to make a loud, angry sound in the throat with the teeth showing, like an angry dog does; for a person, to speak in a fierce and angry way
The neighbour's dog snarled at the mailman every morning through the fence.
snarl at + noun
Wei snarled, "Get out of my way!" when the crowd blocked the stairs.
snarl + direct speech
The stray cat backed into the corner and snarled, its fur standing on end.
Fatima could hear the supervisor snarling orders at the new assistant.
When the gate was locked, the guard dog snarled and pulled at its chain.
文法句型
snarl at + noun / person
snarl + speech
用法筆記
Frequently used with 'at' to indicate the target of the anger. Also commonly used to introduce quoted speech without 'say'.
常見錯誤
2. when hair, string, wire, or similar thin things become twisted together into a m
when hair, string, wire, or similar thin things become twisted together into a messy lump that is hard to separate; to make something get into this state
Elena's long hair snarled badly after she rode her bike with the window down.
intransitive use
The children's jump rope snarled around the park bench and took ten minutes to untangle.
snarl around + noun
The old fishing line had snarled into a hopeless ball on the dock.
A stray piece of plastic snarled the boat's propeller near the harbour.
The kitten played with the wool and snarled it around every chair leg in the room.
- untangle
to separate things that are twisted together
文法句型
snarl + noun
snarl around + noun
snarl into + noun
用法筆記
Often used with 'up' as the phrasal verb 'snarl up' for emphasising a complete blockage. Can be used intransitively (the hair snarled) or transitively (the wind snarled the wires).
3. to make a process, situation, or system more confusing and difficult to manage,
to make a process, situation, or system more confusing and difficult to manage, as if it were physically tangled
New customs regulations have snarled the shipping process at the port.
transitive: snarl + noun (process)
The sudden snowstorm snarled the morning commute for thousands of drivers.
A disagreement about the budget snarled negotiations between the two companies.
Bureaucratic delays snarled the approval of the construction permit for months.
A single missing document snarled the entire visa application process.
- complicate
more general; 'snarl' adds a sense of messy confusion like a physical tangle
- confuse
focuses on making hard to understand; 'snarl' focuses on making hard to proceed
- simplify
to make something easier and less complicated
文法句型
snarl + noun
be snarled by + noun
snarl up + noun
用法筆記
Subject is usually an event, rule, or problem — not a person acting intentionally. Frequently used in news reports about traffic, bureaucracy, and logistics.
常見錯誤
snarl — noun
- snarlsingular
- snarlsplural
1. a fierce, angry sound made in the throat, often with the teeth showing, made by
a fierce, angry sound made in the throat, often with the teeth showing, made by a person or an animal
The guard dog let out a low snarl when the delivery man approached the gate.
let out a snarl
A snarl from the tiger made the visitors step back from the enclosure.
Oluwaseun answered his brother's complaint with a snarl and slammed the door.
Santiago heard a fierce snarl behind him and froze on the forest trail.
The old woman's question was met with a snarl from the impatient clerk.
文法句型
a snarl
with a snarl
let out a snarl
2. a messy bunch of hair, thread, wire, or similar thin things that have become twi
a messy bunch of hair, thread, wire, or similar thin things that have become twisted together and are hard to separate
Keiko spent an hour brushing the snarls out of her daughter's wet hair.
brush out snarls
A snarl of phone cables behind the computer desk made it hard to find the right plug.
a snarl of + noun
The old fisherman patiently untangled a snarl in his fishing net.
There was a snarl of charging cords in Dmitri's backpack that took ages to sort out.
The hairdresser cut out a stubborn snarl instead of trying to comb it loose.
文法句型
a snarl of + noun
snarls in + noun
用法筆記
Often used in the plural ('snarls') for hair tangles. The phrase 'a snarl of + plural noun' describes a messy collection of entwined objects.
3. a situation that has become extremely confused, complicated, or blocked, like a
a situation that has become extremely confused, complicated, or blocked, like a traffic jam or a legal problem that is hard to fix
A broken traffic light caused a snarl of cars that stretched for three kilometres.
snarl of + noun: traffic
The contractor's mistake created a legal snarl that delayed the project by months.
legal snarl / traffic snarl
Jae-won found himself in a snarl of overlapping deadlines and missed appointments.
The missing documents created a snarl in the visa application process.
A dispute between the two departments produced a snarl that no manager could resolve.
文法句型
a snarl of + noun
a snarl in + noun
用法筆記
Typically used in the singular with 'a'. Common in newspaper contexts: 'traffic snarl', 'legal snarl', 'bureaucratic snarl'. Unlike noun sense 2, the elements in the situation are not physically twisted together.