hit a snag

Meaning

To encounter an unexpected problem, obstacle, or delay while trying to complete a task or project. It is a casual way to describe a minor to moderate issue that temporarily halts progress.

Examples

• Our product launch hit a snag when we discovered a critical bug in the software.

  Our product launch hit a snag when we discovered a critical bug in the software.

• We've hit a slight snag with the shipping department, so deliveries might be delayed.

  We've hit a slight snag with the shipping department, so deliveries might be delayed.

• The negotiations hit a snag over the intellectual property clauses.

  The negotiations hit a snag over the intellectual property clauses.

• Everything was going smoothly until our supply chain hit a major snag.

  Everything was going smoothly until our supply chain hit a major snag.

• I think we've hit a snag with the permit approval; we need to call the city office.

  I think we've hit a snag with the permit approval; we need to call the city office.

Common Mistakes

• ✗ The project hit a snake yesterday.

  ✓ The project hit a snag yesterday.

  'Snag' (an obstacle) is often misheard or misspelled as 'snake' by English learners.

• ✗ We hit at a snag during the development phase.

  ✓ We hit a snag during the development phase.

  'Hit' is a transitive verb in this context; do not use the preposition 'at' before 'a snag'.

Related Expressions

Practice

• We were ready to sign the contract, but we ________ over the payment terms.

  💡 encountered an unexpected problem

  Show answer

  hit a snag

• If we ________ with the server migration, we will roll back to the previous version.

  💡 run into an issue

  Show answer

  hit a snag