smug|gler /smʌ gələ r / (smugglers ) N‑COUNT Smugglers are people who take goods into or out of a country illegally. □ …drug smugglers. □ …people smugglers.
smut /smʌ t/ (smuts )
1 N‑UNCOUNT If you refer to words or pictures that are related to sex as smut , you disapprove of them because you think they are rude and unpleasant and have been said or published just to shock or excite people. [DISAPPROVAL ] □ …schoolboy smut.
2 N‑UNCOUNT Smut or smuts is dirt such as soot which makes a dirty mark on something.
smut|ty /smʌ ti/ (smuttier , smuttiest ) ADJ [usu ADJ n] If you describe something such as a joke, book, or film as smutty , you disapprove of it because it shows naked people or refers to sex in a rude or unpleasant way. [DISAPPROVAL ] □ …smutty jokes.
snack /snæ k/ (snacks , snacking , snacked )
1 N‑COUNT A snack is a simple meal that is quick to cook and to eat. □ Lunch was a snack in the fields.
2 N‑COUNT A snack is something such as a chocolate bar that you eat between meals. □ Do you eat sweets, cakes or sugary snacks?
3 VERB If you snack , you eat snacks between meals. □ [V + on ] Instead of snacking on crisps and chocolate, nibble on celery or carrot.
sna ck bar (snack bars ) N‑COUNT A snack bar is a place where you can buy drinks and simple meals such as sandwiches.
snaf|fle /snæ f ə l/ (snaffles , snaffling , snaffled )
1 N‑COUNT A snaffle is an object consisting of two short joined bars of metal that is put in a horse's mouth and attached to the straps that the rider uses to control the horse.
2 VERB If you snaffle something, you take it for yourself. [BRIT , INFORMAL ] □ [V n] Michael Stich then proceeded to snaffle the $2 million first prize.
snag /snæ g/ (snags , snagging , snagged )
1 N‑COUNT A snag is a small problem or disadvantage. □ A police clampdown on car thieves hit a snag when villains stole one of their cars.
2 VERB If you snag part of your clothing on a sharp or rough object or if it snags , it gets caught on the object and tears. □ [V n + on ] She snagged a heel on a root and tumbled to the ground. □ [V n] Brambles snagged his suit. □ [V + on ] Local fishermen's nets kept snagging on underwater objects.
snail /sne I l/ (snails )
1 N‑COUNT A snail is a small animal with a long, soft body, no legs, and a spiral-shaped shell. Snails move very slowly.
2 PHRASE If you say that someone does something at a snail's pace , you are emphasizing that they are doing it very slowly, usually when you think it would be better if they did it much more quickly. [EMPHASIS ] □ The train was moving now at a snail's pace.
snai l mail N‑UNCOUNT Some computer users refer to the postal system as snail mail , because it is very slow in comparison with email.
snake /sne I k/ (snakes , snaking , snaked )
1 N‑COUNT A snake is a long, thin reptile without legs.
2 VERB Something that snakes in a particular direction goes in that direction in a line with a lot of bends. [LITERARY ] □ [V prep/adv] The road snaked through forested mountains.
snake|bite /sne I kba I t/ (snakebites ) also snake bite N‑VAR A snakebite is the bite of a snake, especially a poisonous one.
sna ke charm|er (snake charmers ) also snake-charmers N‑COUNT A snake charmer is a person who entertains people by controlling the behaviour of a snake, for example by playing music and causing the snake to rise out of a basket and drop back in again.
sna kes and la d|ders N‑UNCOUNT Snakes and ladders is a British children's game played with a board and dice. When you go up a ladder, you progress quickly. When you go down a snake, you go backwards.
snake|skin /sne I ksk I n/ N‑UNCOUNT [oft N n] Snakeskin is the skin of snakes used to make shoes and clothes.
snap ◆◇◇ /snæ p/ (snaps , snapping , snapped )
1 VERB If something snaps or if you snap it, it breaks suddenly, usually with a sharp cracking noise. □ [V ] He shifted his weight and a twig snapped. □ [V adv/prep] The brake pedal had just snapped off. □ [V n adv/prep] She gripped the pipe with both hands, trying to snap it in half. [Also V n] ● N‑SING Snap is also a noun. □ Every minute or so I could hear a snap, a crack and a crash as another tree went down.
2 VERB If you snap something into a particular position, or if it snaps into that position, it moves quickly into that position, with a sharp sound. □ [V n adv/prep] He snapped the notebook shut. □ [V adv] The bag snapped open. ● N‑SING Snap is also a noun. □ He shut the book with a snap and stood up.
3 VERB If you snap your fingers , you make a sharp sound by moving your middle finger quickly across your thumb, for example in order to accompany music or to order someone to do something. □ [V n] She had millions of listeners snapping their fingers to her first single. ● N‑SING Snap is also a noun. □ [+ of ] I could obtain with the snap of my fingers anything I chose.
4 VERB If someone snaps at you, they speak to you in a sharp, unfriendly way. □ [V with quote] 'Of course I don't know her,' Roger snapped. □ [V + at ] I'm sorry, Casey, I didn't mean to snap at you like that.
5 VERB If someone snaps , or if something snaps inside them, they suddenly stop being calm and become very angry because the situation has become too tense or too difficult for them. □ [V ] He finally snapped when she prevented their children from visiting him one weekend.