(Source)

We're not certain where the word "snipe" comes from; it might be Scandinavian.

We've used it in English since the 1300s to refer to the kind of long-billed bird pictured above. It lives in marshy places, spends its time poking around for bugs and other snacks, and is quite good at hiding from (and flying away from) hunters.

Because hunters who want to take down snipe must be sneaky about it, the word "snipe" also means "to shoot at something or someone from a distance and/or from a hiding spot," and less literally, "to grab something for yourself in a quick, sneaky, well-planned way."

In a more general sense, if you snipe at people, you suddenly attack them with words, as if you're aiming a gun at them from afar. And a snipe, in this sense, is a sudden comment that attacks someone.

Part of speech:

Often a noun, the countable kind: "Snipes wander among the marshy grasses."

Also a verb. It can be the transitive kind: "They sniped this item away in the very last second of the auction;" "They sniped that his idiocy endangered everyone." And it can be the intransitive kind: "They keep sniping at each other."

Other forms: 

Sniper(s), sniping.

Either "snipes" or "snipe" is fine as a plural noun for the birds: "They're studying snipes;" "They're studying snipe."

how to use it:

Pick the semi-common word "snipe" when you want to compare some sneaky or opportunistic person to a cowardly hunter: someone lying in wait to take the perfect shot at someone. 

Often that shot is a verbal one. We typically we say that someone is sniping at someone else: "She sniped at her roommate, calling her eyebrows a hot mess."

You can also use "snipe" in dialogue attribution: "'Your eyebrows are a hot mess,' she sniped." But as always, as a matter of style and preference, I recommend that you just write "said" instead of a distractingly specific verb: "'Your eyebrows are a hot mess,' she said."

examples:

"Critics sniped at his over-the-top emotiveness on the podium and at his long breaks between appearances with the orchestra."
— Zachary Woolfe, New York Times, 7 February 2023

"Harry got so tired of Ron and Hermione sniping at each other over their homework in the common room that he took Sirius's food up to the Owlery that evening on his own."
— J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, 2000

has this page helped you understand "snipe"?

Awesome, I'm glad it helped!

Thanks for letting me know!
If you have any questions about this word, please message me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com.

study it:

Explain the meaning of "snipe" without saying "aim and fire" or "take a swipe at."

try it out:

After failing to save his colleagues from a deadly volcanic explosion, Stanley Williams wrote in his own defense:

"Many colleagues assured me I had done nothing wrong, that there was no way to have foreseen the eruption. What I didn’t know was that for several years a few of my colleagues had been saying quite the opposite behind my back. Their allegations came down to this: I had missed subtle seismic signs of an eruption and had recklessly led my colleagues to their deaths. When I first heard these accusations, I was too stunned to react. Now I shake my head in wonder. How easy it is to snipe after the fact, to apply the knowledge we have now to the events of 1993."

Is he right? Do you think people tend to snipe at others for their mistakes, and is this generally unfair?

If you like, use this space to write. (To save your work, copy and paste it into an email or a document.)

before you review, play:

Try to spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—first, let your working memory empty out.

Our game for May is "Color Your Own Colloquialism."

I'll give you the outline of a colloquialism, from English or translated from another language, along with its definition, and you create your own version of it. Your version can be goofy, straightforward, or unrepeatable in polite company: just have fun with it! To see the real version of the colloquialism, scroll all the way down. 

Try this one today: 

Meaning: "To rebuke someone harshly with words."

Outline: "To comb a person's head with (something that definitely isn't a comb)."

review this word:

1. The opposite of SNIPING, in one sense, is

A. NATTY: stylish and fashionable.
B. RATTLETRAP: old and falling apart.
C. SCATTERSHOT: firing off in many random directions.

2. Maybe J. K. Rowling was influenced by the word "snipe" when she chose the name "Snape" for a character who tends to _____.

A. dream of fame and glory but never attempt to achieve them
B. skulk around, lie in wait, and fire vicious comments at people
C. trust everyone, embrace his own oddities, and laugh at himself

Answers to the review questions: 1. C 2. B From the game, here's the real version of the colloquialism: "To comb a person's head with a three-legged stool."

a final word:

I hope you're enjoying Make Your Point. It's made with love. I'm Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words. From my blog: On vocabulary...       36 ways to study words.       Why we forget words, & how to remember them.       How to use sophisticated words without being awkward. On writing...       How to improve any sentence.       How to motivate our kids to write.       How to stop procrastinating and start writing.       How to bulk up your writing when you have to meet a word count. From my heart: a profound thanks to the generous patrons, donors, and sponsors that make it possible for me to write these emails. If you'd like to be a patron or a donor, please click here. If you'd like to be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com. A disclaimer: When I write definitions, I use plain language and stick to the words' common, useful applications. If you're interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words, I encourage you to check a dictionary. Also, because I'm American, I stick to American English when I share words' meanings, usage, and pronunciations; these elements sometimes vary across world Englishes.