noun

• 1A marine fish that is typically reddish and is valued as food.

  a fish of a widespread tropical family (Lutjanidae, the snapper family) that snaps its toothed jaws. See also
  red snapper

  ‘Common fish which can give ciguatera fish poisoning include groupers, barracudas, snappers, and mackerel.’

  More example sentences

  • ‘Small hard-skinned fish such as snappers, grouper, breams and hind should be gutted and scaled on capture and kept in slurry.’
  • ‘This is a fantastic summer main course, served with a crunchy green salad on the side. Use a firm, flaky white fish such as snapper, cod or sea bass.’
  • ‘On the shallow reef shelter schools of humpbacked and bluelined snappers, oriental sweetlips and yet more fat, docile groupers.’
  • ‘The wrecks are home to a wide variety of corals and marine life including angelfish, barracudas, margates, sharks, snappers and turtles.’
• 2

  another term for snapping turtle

  More example sentences

  • ‘The snapper is Canada's largest freshwater turtle. It can attain a shell length of 45 cm and weights exceeding 15 kg. Its serpentine neck, massive head, muscular legs, and relatively long tail make it seem even larger.’
• 3British informal A photographer.

  More example sentences

  • ‘tabloid snappers were crowding the stage door’
  • ‘Digital cameras have revolutionised the world of photography, but many snappers are shocked when they realise just how much it costs to print those fabulous pictures of little Emily.’
  • ‘Five keen snappers received free photography tuition from a professional in a project supported by the Greater Woolwich neighbourhood renewal panel.’
  • ‘In the second show of Nunnnington Hall's spring and summer programme, the iconic photography of British snapper Terry O'Neill will be on view from May 1 to June 25.’
  • ‘In two years' time, the majority of holiday snappers will be wielding digital cameras.’
  • ‘Beside them, though, was a crowd of mobile phone-weilding snappers hoping for momentary fame as their grainy pictures were picked up by Sky or the BBC.’
• 4A paper cracker, or the part of a cracker that makes a bang.

  ‘Insert the snapper, party favours and confetti or decorative shred into the roll. Make sure the ends of the snapper extend beyond the end of the cracker.’

  More example sentences

  • ‘Insert pull-snapper so that the ends protrude equally from the ends of the tube.’