The difference between Obstacle and Snag

When used as nouns, obstacle means something that impedes, stands in the way of, or holds up progress, whereas snag means a stump or base of a branch that has been lopped off.


Snag is also verb with the meaning: to catch or tear (e.g. fabric) upon a rough surface or projection.

check bellow for the other definitions of Obstacle and Snag

  1. Obstacle as a noun:

    Something that impedes, stands in the way of, or holds up progress

    Examples:

    "A big obstacle to understanding the manual was that it had been poorly translated from the Japanese."

  1. Snag as a noun:

    A stump or base of a branch that has been lopped off; a short branch, or a sharp or rough branch; a knot; a protuberance.

  2. Snag as a noun:

    Any sharp protuberant part of an object, which may catch, scratch, or tear other objects brought into contact with it.

  3. Snag as a noun:

    A tooth projecting beyond the others; a broken or decayed tooth.

    Examples:

    "rfquotek Prior"

  4. Snag as a noun:

    A tree, or a branch of a tree, fixed in the bottom of a river or other navigable water, and rising nearly or quite to the surface, by which boats are sometimes pierced and sunk.

  5. Snag as a noun (figuratively):

    A problem or difficulty with something.

  6. Snag as a noun:

    A pulled thread or yarn, as in cloth.

  7. Snag as a noun:

    One of the secondary branches of an antler.

  1. Snag as a verb:

    To catch or tear (e.g. fabric) upon a rough surface or projection.

    Examples:

    "Be careful not to snag your stockings on that concrete bench!"

  2. Snag as a verb:

    To damage or sink (a vessel) by collision; said of a tree or branch fixed to the bottom of a navigable body of water and partially submerged or rising to just beneath the surface.

    Examples:

    "The steamboat was snagged on the Mississippi River in 1862."

  3. Snag as a verb (fishing):

    To fish by means of dragging a large hook or hooks on a line, intending to impale the body (rather than the mouth) of the target.

    Examples:

    "We snagged for spoonbill from the eastern shore of the Mississippi River."

  4. Snag as a verb (slang):

    To obtain or pick up (something).

    Examples:

    "Ella snagged a bottle of water from the fridge before leaving for her jog."

  5. Snag as a verb (slang):

    To stealthily steal with legerdemain prowess (something).

    Examples:

    "The smiling little girl snagged her phone while performing a dance; but now was far-off among the crowd."

  6. Snag as a verb (UK, dialect):

    To cut the snags or branches from, as the stem of a tree; to hew roughly.

    Examples:

    "rfquotek Halliwell"

  1. Snag as a noun (UK, dialect, obsolete):

    A light meal.

  2. Snag as a noun (Australia, informal, colloquial):

    A sausage.

  3. Snag as a noun (Australian rules football, slang):

    A goal.

  1. Snag as a noun:

    A misnaged, an opponent to Chassidic Judaism (more likely modern, for cultural reasons).