snip

Compared meaning: to cut something short or trim it (verb).

比较义项：把某物剪短、剪掉多余部分（动词）。

• crop

  Crop means to cut something, especially hair or an animal's grazing, very short and close to the base; it is not normally used for cutting paper, thread, or small objects.

  crop指把某物（尤指毛发，或牲畜啃食牧草）剪得非常短、贴近根部；通常不用于剪纸张、线头等小物件。

  The sheep cropped the grass so short that the lawn looked freshly mowed.

  羊群把草啃得很短，草坪看起来就像刚修剪过一样。

• clip

  Clip is the most general everyday word: cutting something short and neat with scissors or shears, such as nails, hair, or a hedge, on a regular basis.

  clip是四个词中最常用、最通用的一个，指用剪刀或剪子把东西（如指甲、头发、树篱）定期剪短、剪整齐。

  She clips her nails every Sunday evening after a shower.

  她每个周日晚上洗完澡后都会剪指甲。

• prune

  Prune is used only for plants: it means selectively cutting away dead, unwanted, or overgrown branches to keep the plant healthy or well shaped, not just shortening it.

  prune只用于植物，指有选择地剪掉枯死、多余或过长的枝条，以保持植物健康或形状美观，而不只是把它剪短。

  Every March, my grandfather prunes the apple trees to encourage new growth.

  每年三月，我爷爷都会给苹果树修枝，以促进新枝生长。

• snip 本词

  Snip means to make one small, quick cut with scissors, often removing a small piece such as a thread or loose end, rather than general trimming.

  snip指用剪刀快速剪一下，通常是剪掉线头之类的小部分，而不是大面积的修剪。

  She snipped a loose thread hanging from the hem of her skirt.

  她剪掉了裙子下摆上垂着的一根线头。

Crop, clip, prune, and snip all mean to cut something shorter. Crop cuts very short and close, like hair. Clip is the general word for neat scissor cuts. Prune is only for plants, removing unwanted branches. Snip means one small, quick cut.

这四个词在“剪短、修剪”这个意义上相近，但剪的对象和用法不同：crop常指剪得很短或牲畜啃食牧草；clip是最通用的“剪短”动词；prune专用于给植物修枝；snip强调用剪刀快速剪一小下。这里不比较crop表示“庄稼、收成”的名词义，也不比较clip表示“（纸）夹子”的名词义。