What does snitched mean?
Snitched is the past tense and past participle of snitch, an informal verb meaning to inform on another person, especially by reporting wrongdoing to the police or another authority. It is common chiefly in North American English and is often used when someone betrays a friend, accomplice, or fellow team member. “He snitched on his partner” therefore suggests deliberate disloyalty, while “Several witnesses snitched” can be more neutral but still conveys a potentially troublesome act of informing. The word is most frequently seen in informal speech, reporting, and discussions of criminal investigations. Its history contrasts with its present meaning: snitch originally had a connection with stealing, and its older noun sense referred to a thief. The modern sense of informing on someone developed from that vocabulary. In formal writing, terms such as “informed against” or “reported to the authorities” are usually preferred.
verbInform on someone, especially by reporting their wrongdoing to the police or another authority. It is generally informal and often carries the implication that the person is betraying a friend, accomplice, or associate.
- To inform on another person, especially by reporting wrongdoing to the police or another authority.
"When the police questioned him, he refused to snitch on his friends."
"One of the suspects snitched, and the police soon arrested the rest of the gang."
"No team should ever snitch on a teammate after a game."
Today, snitching means telling on someone; the word's older core meaning was stealing.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does snitched come from?
The headword is the past tense and past participle of snitch. The noun originally referred to a thief and was related to an older verb meaning to steal; by the nineteenth century, snitch was also used in North American English for informing on another person. Modern usage continues to preserve a sense of betrayal associated with the word's criminal associations.
Related word forms
How snitched is actually used
Informal and chiefly North American. It is often derogatory because it suggests disloyalty or betrayal, although the sense is sometimes used more neutrally when describing informing on a criminal.
Easily confused with snitched
To snitch is to report someone, whereas to sneak is to move quietly or avoid being noticed.