snarls 1 of 3

plural of snarl
as in jams
a crowded mass (as of cars) that impedes or blocks movement to no avail, the city promotes carpooling to help ease the traffic snarls that always accompany rush hour

Synonyms & Similar Words

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snarls

2 of 3

verb (1)

present tense third-person singular of snarl

snarls

3 of 3

verb (2)

present tense third-person singular of snarl

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of snarls
Noun
Around her, Youth builds an impressively frantic web of relationships and plot snarls. — Kathryn Vanarendonk, Vulture, 18 Sep. 2026 This year’s Labor Day marks the unofficial end of summer with closures, travel snarls and record gas prices in California. — Vince Basada, Sacbee.com, 7 Sep. 2026 The wildly popular Instagram page was offline for a hot minute, leaving the general pop pining for videos on the myriad zany happenings in our city, from traffic snarls and celebrity shenanigans to animal encounters and fights outside the club. — Madeleine Marr, Miami Herald, 30 July 2026 The state Department of Transportation is scheduled to install temporary three-way stop signs at the intersections during a road project that’s already created mind-numbing traffic snarls and angry and confused drivers. — Joe Marusak, Charlotte Observer, 23 July 2026 Drivers should brace for traffic snarls this summer when South Elgin’s State Street bridge over the Fox River is reduced to one lane for road resurfacing work. — Gloria Casas, Chicago Tribune, 29 May 2026 Attendees on Sunday reported traffic snarls in all directions. — Cindi Andrews, IndyStar, 25 May 2026 Travel industry leaders and major airlines warn the proposal would devastate tourism, choke international cargo and create massive operational snarls. — Josh Funk, Los Angeles Times, 24 May 2026 And when jet lag snarls your normal rest pattern, the window views and a cup of traditional Chinese tea awaiting each guest’s arrival become a pleasant distraction. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 12 May 2026
Verb
Day to day, as the city grows, there’s also the question of traffic, which snarls the city as public transit initiatives have repeatedly struggled. — Jacqui Palumbo, CNN Money, 21 July 2026 Security snarls The TSA PreCheck line at terminal B in LaGuardia Airport in East Elmhurst, Queens, New York City, on March 27, 2026. — Leslie Josephs, CNBC, 28 Mar. 2026 Beyond the red tape that snarls any new apartment, condominiums confront an additional hurdle. — M. Nolan Gray, The Atlantic, 13 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for snarls
Noun
  • The only problem is that the lyrics aren’t really more comprehensible than actual Katseye jams.
    — Bethy Squires, Vulture, 27 Sep. 2026
  • Most hoppers require you to place your bills as neat and evenly as possible to avoid jams and other issues, but better hoppers give you some wiggle room.
    — BestReviews, Chicago Tribune, 24 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • Others work automatically whenever the canine barks too loudly or too much.
    — BestReviews, Chicago Tribune, 18 Sep. 2026
  • New people can still require an adjustment period for Lainey, who initially barks when meeting someone unfamiliar.
    — Ashley Vega, PEOPLE, 17 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • No matter how many knots a lawyer ties themselves in to get there, legality is not legitimacy.
    — Jon Duffy, Mercury News, 29 Nov. 2025
  • Stories like these usually lurch from one contrivance and complication to the next, but Chad Powers knots itself into a genuinely thorny conflict by the finale.
    — Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 29 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • O’Kane shouts when Tom Brokaw announces that one of the men suspected of plotting the attack has been detained.
    — Jeff Goodell, Rolling Stone, 11 Sep. 2026
  • Fighters loyal to the Houthi authorities, shouts slogans during a rally to recruit more fighters, in Sanaa on September 10, 2026.
    — Sam Meredith, CNBC, 11 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • So here's the part where DC's comic book logic tangles itself into knots.
    — Sergio Pereira, Space.com, 15 Aug. 2026
  • But consent decrees are legally and politically complicated, and the treatment of migrant children further tangles the situation.
    — Sonja Sharp, Los Angeles Times, 24 July 2026
Verb
  • Holmberg jumps in his vehicle and catches up to McConnell as Lafayette County deputy Kenneth Lewie holds McConnell at gunpoint and yells at him to get on the ground.
    — Robert A. Cronkleton, Kansas City Star, 6 Oct. 2026
  • Things escalate as the two share a car ride home from a fancy gala and the bad man yells at her for embarrassing him.
    — Alejandra Gularte, Vulture, 28 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • Set the scene The Homestead screams quirky, artful, and vintage yet restored—capturing a whimsical, fairytale ambiance embellished with hints of Southern charm.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Oct. 2026
  • The issue, of course, stems from the sound of rider screams from the coaster drifting into the residential area.
    — Todd Martens, Los Angeles Times, 6 Oct. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Snarls.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/snarls. Accessed 10 Oct. 2026.

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