snapshot
quick, informal photograph
A photo that someone takes fast and simply, without much planning or special equipment.
a snapshot of [someone/something]
- He showed me a snapshot of his kids on his phone.
- Tourists were taking snapshots of the famous bridge from every angle.
- I keep an old snapshot of my grandparents in my wallet.
- She posted a sunset snapshot from her vacation on social media.
- These black-and-white snapshots were taken when we first met.
- She took a snapshot of the beach.
- I found a snapshot of my parents in an old box.
- He showed us a snapshot from his last trip.
- Can you send me that snapshot of us?
- This snapshot is my favorite picture of you.
brief view of a situation
A short, simple description that shows how something is at one moment in time.
a snapshot of [a situation]
- The report gives a snapshot of the housing market in 2025.
- These numbers provide a useful snapshot of where the company stands right now.
- Survey results offer a snapshot of public attitudes toward climate policy.
- The chart is only a snapshot of performance and may change next quarter.
- This data set is a historical snapshot of life in the city 50 years ago.
- The table gives a snapshot of prices this year.
- This survey is a snapshot of how people feel today.
- The graph shows a quick snapshot of our sales.
- The picture of numbers is just a snapshot of the market.
- These facts are a snapshot of the current situation.
saved state of data/system
In computers, a saved copy of a system or data at one moment in time, so you can return to that moment later.
a snapshot of [a system/database/volume]
- The administrator took a snapshot of the database before applying the update.
- You can roll back the virtual machine to yesterday’s snapshot if something goes wrong.
- This snapshot captures the entire file system as it existed at midnight.
- We keep hourly snapshots so we can restore any lost data quickly.
- Before testing the new configuration, create a snapshot of the current system state.
- The IT team made a snapshot of the server.
- If there is a problem, we can go back to the last snapshot.
- The program saves a snapshot of your work every hour.
- Please take a snapshot of the database before you change it.
- They restored the website from a snapshot.
quick shot in sport
In some sports, a very fast shot that uses only a small, quick movement, not a big swing.
[someone] hits a snapshot [towards/into] [the goal]
- He took a quick snapshot from the edge of the box and scored.
- The winger fired a low snapshot that beat the goalkeeper at the near post.
- She unleashed a powerful snapshot from the blue line.
- The defender blocked the snapshot with his leg.
- A late snapshot almost gave them the winning goal.
- He scored with a fast snapshot from 20 meters.
- The player hit a low snapshot into the corner of the goal.
- The goalkeeper saved the snapshot.
- She tried a quick snapshot, but it went wide.
- A strong snapshot won the game for their team.
to create a saved snapshot
To make a special saved copy of a computer system or data at one moment in time.
snapshot [a system/database/volume]
- The tool can snapshot the database without taking it offline.
- This script snapshots the server every night at midnight.
- Before you upgrade, snapshot the system so you can roll back if needed.
- The platform automatically snapshots your environment before major changes.
- We regularly snapshot the storage volume for disaster recovery.
- The program will snapshot the disk for you.
- Please snapshot the server before you change the settings.
- The system snapshots the data every hour.
- You should snapshot the database first.
- They snapshot the machine before each test.
- Base: snapshot
- Plural: snapshots
a snapshot of
1short view of current state
Used to say that something gives a short, simple picture of how a situation is at one time.
- This chart gives a snapshot of our sales over the last year.
- The article offers a snapshot of life in the city today.
- These figures are only a snapshot of the wider problem.
snapshot in time
1single recorded moment in time
A picture, description, or set of data that shows how something was at one moment, not how it changes over time.
- The study is just a snapshot in time and does not track long-term trends.
- This photo is a snapshot in time from my childhood.
take a snapshot
1take a quick, casual photo
To quickly take an informal photo, usually without much planning.
- Let’s take a snapshot before everyone leaves.
- He stopped to take a snapshot of the mountains.
- Tourists were taking snapshots outside the museum.