To suddenly stop being in a negative or unproductive mental state.
To quickly stop feeling sad, daydreamy, or confused and start acting normally again.
3 meanings, ordered from most common to least. Color-coded by CEFR level.
To suddenly stop being in a sad, dreamy, or distracted state and return to normal awareness.
"She had been staring at the wall for ten minutes before her friend told her to snap out of it."
Snap out of it!
— The Bangles, 'Eternal Flame' (1988) — lyric from the song
To force oneself or another person to stop dwelling on grief, shock, or obsessive thinking.
"After losing the championship, it took him weeks to snap out of his disappointment and start training again."
To abruptly regain consciousness or alertness after a trance-like state.
"He snapped out of his daze when the car horn blared right behind him."
To make a snapping sound while moving outward from something — suggesting a sharp, sudden break.
To quickly stop feeling sad, daydreamy, or confused and start acting normally again.
Usually used as a command ('Snap out of it!') or with a reflexive sense. Common in American and British English. The object is almost always 'it' when referring to an unspecified bad mood.
Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.
The five tense forms you'll use most often.
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