hit a snag

Idioms

Encounter a problem or obstacle. For example, We've hit a snag with this building project. The noun snag has been used in the sense of “a sharp or rough projection,” such as would impede passage, since the 1500s.

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Work to replace water pipes in Osaka, a city of 2.8 million residents, has hit a snag as the actual cost exceeded the planned budget, according to local media.

From Barron's

Wall Street’s first public bitcoin-backed bond sale hit a snag after the cryptocurrency’s recent plunge.

From The Wall Street Journal

But many of their investments hit a snag after publicly traded energy companies became more financially disciplined and largely halted acquisitions of undeveloped oilfields around 2017.

From The Wall Street Journal

An Indian rocket hit a snag during its launch Monday, forcing a deviation in flight path as it carried an Earth observation satellite and commercial payloads, the country's space agency said.

From Barron's

However, the project appears to have hit a snag.

From Barron's

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023