A snippet is a small piece or brief extract of something larger. When you read the first few sentences of a news article online, you're seeing a snippet that gives you just enough information to decide if you want to read more. When a teacher shares a snippet of a poem in class, she might read only the most vivid or important lines rather than the entire work.

A code snippet is a few lines of computer programming that demonstrate one specific technique. A snippet of conversation is just a fragment you happened to overhear. A snippet of gossip is a tantalizing piece of information, not the full story.

Snippets are useful because they give you the essence of something without overwhelming you with details. When you search for information online, search engines show you snippets from different websites so you can quickly scan and find what matters most. Think of snippets as samples: they let you taste without having to eat the entire meal.