Snitch Definition & Meaning

American

British

Usage

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Examples

Synonyms snitch 1 American [snich] / snɪtʃ /

verb (used with object)

Informal.

1. to snatch or steal; pilfer.

snitch 2 American [snich] / snɪtʃ /

verb (used without object)

1. to turn informer; tattle.

noun

1. Also called snitcher. an informer.

snitch British / snɪtʃ /

verb

1. (tr) to steal; take, esp in an underhand way

2. (intr) to act as an informer

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

1. an informer; telltale

2. the nose

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Usage

What does snitch mean? Snitch is an insulting name for a person who informs the police or other authorities when others break the law or the rules.Snitch can refer to an informant who reports a crime or a tattletale who tells on someone, especially to their parents or to a teacher. It can also be used as a verb meaning to inform on or tattle on someone. All uses of this sense of the word are intended to be negative and very insulting.Less commonly, snitch can be used as a verb meaning to steal, or as a noun meaning the nose.In the Harry Potter series of books and movies, the golden snitch is the small flying object in the game of quidditch that gets chased after by players called seekers (including Harry Potter himself). Capturing the snitch wins the game for one’s team.Example: We call you a snitch because you snitched on us for snitching the snitch from McGonagall’s office! Next time keep your mouth shut!

Other Word Forms

• snitcher noun

Etymology

Origin of snitch1

First recorded in 1900–05; perhaps variant of snatch

Origin of snitch2

First recorded in 1775–85; origin uncertain

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

People who come forward are called narcs, tattletales and snitches.

From Los Angeles Times

Fred always forgot that he didn’t like bananas, so he snitched a bit from her bowl and spat it out across the rock.

From Literature

“Right. And that doorman might be a snitch.”

From Literature

He kept their identities concealed, assuring them he wouldn’t “snitch on y’all.”

From Los Angeles Times

“This is the nation’s largest snitch scandal by far,” Sanders said.

From Los Angeles Times

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.