To snip means to cut something quickly with scissors or shears, usually making a small, precise cut. When you snip a loose thread from your shirt, you make a quick, clean cut. A gardener snips dead leaves from plants. A hairdresser snips small sections of hair to shape it just right.

The word captures both the sound and the action: snip sounds like scissors closing. You can snip ribbon, paper, fabric, or anything else that cuts easily. The cut is usually small and controlled, different from hacking or slashing at something.

Snip can also be a noun meaning the cut itself, or the small piece that gets cut away. After trimming wrapping paper, you might sweep up the snips from the floor.

Sometimes people use snip playfully to mean a small, quick action with scissors, like when someone jokes that they might snip your shoelaces. The word suggests something fast, neat, and final: one quick motion and it’s done.