To snitch means to tell on someone, usually to get them in trouble or to benefit yourself. When a student snitches on a classmate for passing notes, they report it to the teacher, often to avoid blame or gain favor. When criminals snitch to the police, they reveal information about their partners in crime, typically to get a lighter punishment for themselves.

The word carries a negative feeling because it suggests betrayal or tattling for selfish reasons rather than doing the right thing. People often see a difference between snitching and honestly reporting something serious. If you tell a teacher that someone brought a weapon to school, that's protecting people's safety. If you tell on your sister for eating an extra cookie just so you can feel superior, that's snitching.

The line between snitching and responsible reporting isn't always clear. Generally, snitching means revealing someone else's minor wrongdoing for personal gain, while responsible reporting means alerting adults to genuinely dangerous or harmful situations. A snitch is someone who tattles regularly, and in many communities, being called a snitch can damage your reputation because it suggests you can't be trusted to be loyal.