snap up
2 meanings
buy something quickly because it is cheap or wanted by many people
What does "snap up" mean in this sense?
Examples
- Fans snapped up the concert tickets within minutes of them going on sale.
- The apartments were snapped up by investors before most buyers even heard about them.
- There are only a few copies left — snap them up before they're gone!
How to use it
The most common structure, used when the object is a noun phrase — especially a longer one.
Shoppers snapped up the discounted laptops as soon as the sale opened.
Separation is natural with short noun objects and adds a slightly more emphatic or colloquial feel.
He snapped the last bargain ticket up before anyone else had a chance.
When the object is a pronoun, separation is obligatory — the pronoun must go between 'snap' and 'up'.
Only three seats were left, so we snapped them up immediately.
The passive is very common and natural, especially in journalism — it shifts focus to the thing acquired rather than the buyer.
The new apartments were snapped up by investors within days of going on the market.
Used metaphorically when a company or organisation quickly hires someone desirable before competitors can.
She graduated top of her class and was snapped up by a leading consultancy firm.
Common Collocations
Common Mistakes
When the object is a pronoun, it must go between 'snap' and 'up'. Placing it after 'up' is ungrammatical in English.
'Snap up' implies urgency, eagerness, and competition — if someone simply buys something without any rush or scarcity, 'pick up' is the more natural choice.
While separation works well with short objects, inserting a very long noun phrase between 'snap' and 'up' sounds awkward. Keep long objects after 'up'.
Usage
This phrasal verb is neutral in register and works equally well in spoken conversation and written news articles. It often appears in the passive ('were snapped up') to focus on how quickly something sold out.
buy something quickly before others can, often at a good price
Sense 2: What does "snap sth up" mean?
Examples
- A private equity firm snapped up the distressed retail chain for a fraction of its pre-pandemic valuation.
- The tech giant snapped the biotech startup up before any competitors had a chance to bid.
- Several promising properties in the city centre were snapped up by overseas investors within days of listing.
How to use it
The most common structure, with a company, investor, or fund as subject and a business or major asset as object.
A hedge fund snapped up the struggling retailer at a significant discount to its book value.
The separated form is natural when the object is a short noun phrase, and is the only option when the object is a pronoun.
When the biotech firm's share price collapsed, a rival pharmaceutical group snapped it up within the week.
The passive is common in business journalism when the focus is on the acquired entity rather than the buyer.
The undervalued property portfolio was snapped up by a foreign investment fund before domestic buyers could respond.
A price adverbial emphasising favourable terms is a characteristic feature of this sense and strengthens the sense of opportunism.
The private equity firm snapped up the distressed logistics company for a fraction of what it had been worth two years earlier.
Pairing the verb with a competitor reference underlines the speed and competitive advantage that define this sense.
The media conglomerate snapped up the streaming platform before any of its rivals had tabled a formal offer.
Common Collocations
Common Mistakes
'Snap up' must convey speed, favourable pricing, or competitive advantage. Using it for a slow, expensive, or uncontested deal sounds unnatural — in those cases, 'acquire' or 'purchase' is the better choice.
In this corporate sense, the subject must be an organisation, fund, or investor and the object must be a company, asset, or stake — not a product, ticket, or retail bargain. Those contexts belong to a separate consumer sense of 'snap up'.
When the object is a pronoun such as 'it' or 'them', it must go between 'snap' and 'up', never after 'up'.
Usage
This sense is mainly found in written business journalism and financial reporting rather than spoken language. It is slightly less formal than 'acquire' but still appropriate for professional contexts such as news articles and investment reports.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can 'snap up' be used in the passive?
Yes — and it's actually very common in the passive, especially in news articles and retail contexts. Forms like 'were snapped up' or 'have been snapped up' focus on how quickly the thing sold or was taken, rather than on who bought it. For example: 'All the early-bird tickets were snapped up within hours.'
Can I use 'snap up' in the present continuous — like 'people are snapping up bargains'?
This can sound unnatural in most situations. 'Snap up' works best in the past simple, present perfect, or passive, often paired with time expressions like 'within minutes' or 'as soon as they went on sale'. The present continuous is only really natural if you're describing a very live, dynamic scene unfolding right now.
Does 'snap up' always refer to buying things?
Not always — it can refer to any situation where someone eagerly claims or secures something desirable before others can. It's often used metaphorically for hiring talented people, for example: 'The startup was snapped up by a tech giant before it even launched publicly.' The key idea is always speed, eagerness, and competition.
What kinds of things are typically 'snapped up'?
Common objects include tickets, bargains, deals, properties, shares, copies, seats, and opportunities. Talented people — like graduates or athletes — can also be snapped up by employers or teams. The common thread is that the thing is desirable, limited, and in high demand.
Is 'snap up' more common in British or American English?
It's used naturally in both British and American English with no significant regional restriction. You'll find it in news articles, everyday conversation, and advertising in both varieties, particularly in contexts involving sales, property, and competitive hiring.
Does 'snap up' always imply a bargain price, or is speed enough?
Speed alone can justify the use of 'snap up', but the verb is most natural when at least one of two things is true: the acquirer acted faster than competitors, or the price was advantageous. If both are present, the verb fits perfectly. If the deal was slow and expensive, 'acquire' is the safer choice.
Is 'snap up' mainly written English, or can I use it in meetings and presentations?
It appears most frequently in written business journalism and financial reporting. In spoken contexts — such as board meetings, pitches, or formal presentations — 'acquire' tends to sound more polished. That said, 'snap up' is not incorrect in speech; it simply has a slightly journalistic flavour.
Can 'snap up' be used when a company acquires talent or intellectual property, not just whole businesses?
Yes — the object can be any strategically significant corporate asset, including talent, patents, a brand, or a minority stake, as long as the acquisition is swift or opportunistic. For example, 'The group snapped up several key engineers from the collapsed firm' fits the corporate sense naturally.
Does 'snap up' work in headlines without an article?
Yes. Like many phrasal verbs in business and financial headlines, 'snap up' can appear without articles to save space, for example: 'Rival snaps up struggling platform at record low valuation.' This is a standard feature of headline style rather than a grammar rule for general use.
Can I use 'snap up' in the present continuous to describe an ongoing deal?
It sounds awkward in most business contexts. Because the verb implies a swift, decisive act, the ongoing nature suggested by the present continuous creates a contradiction. The simple past, present perfect, or infinitive form is almost always more natural when writing about corporate acquisitions.
Ready to practise?
Practise 1,000+ English phrasal verbs with interactive gap-fill exercises.
Start Practising →