snippet
Medium (B2)Neutral to Informal
Definition
Meaning
A small piece or brief extract, especially from a text, conversation, piece of code, or music.
Any small, incomplete, or isolated piece of information or material, often implying it is a representative sample of a larger whole.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
Often carries a connotation of being incomplete, extracted, or a brief 'taste' of something larger. In computing, it's a standardized, reusable piece of code.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
Usage is nearly identical. 'Snippet' is common in both varieties.
Connotations
Equally neutral/informal in both. Slight potential for British speakers to associate it more traditionally with physical cuttings (e.g., from a newspaper).
Frequency
Comparable frequency. Slightly more common in US computing contexts.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
a snippet of [uncountable noun/abstract concept: information, code, text, gossip]a snippet from [source: the article, the interview, the archives]Vocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “"soundbite" (related, but specifically for audio/video)”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Used in marketing for short promotional clips or data points. 'The report provides a snippet of the quarterly results.'
Academic
Refers to short quotations or data extracts. 'The analysis was based on a snippet of the original manuscript.'
Everyday
Refers to bits of overheard conversation, short news items, or small pieces of information. 'I caught a snippet of their chat as I walked by.'
Technical
Primarily refers to reusable blocks of source code. 'Save that function as a code snippet for future projects.'
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- To snippet code is a rare, jargonistic back-formation.
- They snippeted the article for the digest.
American English
- Developers often snippet useful functions.
- The tool allows you to snippet text from the web.
adjective
British English
- The snippet view showed only a preview.
- He has a snippet file for common code.
American English
- Use the snippet library for quick access.
- She shared a snippet document with examples.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- She read me a snippet from her favourite book.
- I heard a snippet of a song on the radio.
- The journalist only had a brief snippet of the conversation recorded.
- I use that code snippet every time I build a login form.
- A snippet of an unreleased song leaked online.
- The documentary provided a tantalising snippet of the artist's early work.
- From the snippets of data we have, we can infer a growing trend.
- He bookmarked a useful snippet on JavaScript array methods.
- Her speech was reduced to a decontextualised snippet that went viral on social media.
- The archaeologist analysed every pottery snippet to reconstruct the vessel.
- The API returns a JSON snippet containing the essential metadata.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Sounds like 'snip it' – imagine using scissors to snip a small piece (a snippet) from a newspaper.
Conceptual Metaphor
INFORMATION IS A PHYSICAL SUBSTANCE (from which pieces can be cut/taken).
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Avoid overtranslation as 'обрывок' (scrap/fragment) which implies something torn and damaged. 'Фрагмент' or 'отрывок' (for text/music) are closer. In IT, 'сниппет' is a common loanword.
Common Mistakes
- Using 'snippet' for long pieces of text (it should be short). Confusing 'snippet' with 'snip' (the action of cutting).
Practice
Quiz
In which context is the word 'snippet' LEAST appropriate?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
No, while common for text, it's used for any small extract: code, audio, video, conversation, or information.
'Excerpt' is more formal and often implies a more substantial, intentionally selected piece. 'Snippet' is more informal and emphasises brevity and incompleteness.
No. A 'snippet' is a small, reusable piece of code often inserted into a larger script or program. A 'script' is typically a complete, runnable file.
Yes, it can imply that information is taken out of context or is insufficient, e.g., 'The news report was based on just a snippet of the facts.'