snub
Americanverb (used with object)
-
to treat with disdain or contempt, especially by ignoring.
- Synonyms:
- slight
-
to check or reject with a sharp rebuke or remark.
-
to check or stop suddenly (a rope or cable that is running out).
-
to check (a boat, an unbroken horse, etc.) by means of a rope or line made fast to a fixed object.
-
to pull up or stop abruptly in such a manner.
noun
-
an act or instance of snubbing.
-
an affront, slight, or rebuff.
-
a sudden check given to a rope or cable running out, a moving boat, or the like.
adjective
-
(of the nose) short and turned up at the tip.
verb
-
to insult (someone) deliberately
-
to stop or check the motion of (a boat, horse, etc) by taking turns of a rope or cable around a post or other fixed object
noun
-
a deliberately insulting act or remark
-
nautical
-
an elastic shock absorber attached to a mooring line
-
( as modifier )
a snub rope
-
adjective
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
has snubbedperfect 3rd person singular
-
have snubbedperfect
-
is snubbingprogressive 3rd person singular
-
am snubbingprogressive 1st person singular
-
snubssingular 3rd person
-
have been snubbingperfect progressive
-
has been snubbingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
-
snubbingparticiple
-
are snubbingprogressive
Past
-
had snubbedperfect
-
were snubbingprogressive plural
-
had been snubbingperfect progressive
-
snubbedsimple
-
snubbedparticiple
-
was snubbingprogressive singular
Future
Etymology
Origin of snub
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English snubben, from Old Norse snubba “to scold, reprimand”; cognate with Middle Low German snūben
Explanation
To snub is to ignore or refuse to acknowledge someone. If you want to snub your former best friend, you can refuse to even look at her when you pass in the hallway. When you snub someone, you deliver an insult by pretending to not even notice someone that you know. There’s an element of disdain and rejection to a snub, as if you’re too good to even acknowledge the person. As a noun, a snub is that act of cold rejection. Your former friend probably noticed the snub, and she’ll probably snub you from now on. Snub also means "very short," like the nose on a bulldog.
Vocabulary lists containing snub
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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.
But he didn’t even receive a nomination for his work — a snub that I found unaccountable.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 8, 2026
Some have interpreted that as a snub to the forum, while others see it as China avoiding publicly pitting itself against the US, as the two rival powers jostle for influence in the region.
From BBC • May 30, 2026
He was forced to use the plane's own staircase, only to step out onto the tarmac rather than a red carpet, prompting speculation of a snub.
From Barron's • May 15, 2026
The Oscars snub is a missed opportunity for more audiences to try to answer it.
From Slate • Mar. 13, 2026
“Don’t say ‘larks!’” implored Amy, as a return snub for the ‘samphire’ correction.
From "Little Women" by Louisa May Alcott
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.
