Learn Arabic › B2 › خاطِف
خاطِف
snatcher (someone who grabs and flees) /ˈxaː.tˤif/
nounB2#4039 most common
Also: kidnapper, hijacker, fleeting, quick (used adjectivally)
Example sentences
هرب الخاطِف.
The snatcher fled.
قبضت الشرطة على الخاطِف أمس.
The police caught the snatcher yesterday.
ألقى نظرة خاطِفة على الرسالة.
He threw a fleeting glance at the letter.
تمكن خاطِف الحقيبة من الهروب بين الحشود المزدحمة.
The bag snatcher managed to escape through the crowded throngs.
رغم التحقيقات المكثفة، ظل الخاطِف الحقيقي مجهول الهوية.
Despite the intensive investigations, the real kidnapper's identity remained unknown.
بدا نجاح الحملة انتصاراً خاطِفاً سرعان ما تبعه انهيار كامل للخطة نتيجة سوء التخطيط الأمني.
The campaign's success looked like a fleeting victory, soon followed by a complete collapse of the plan due to poor security planning.
Declension
| Case | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | خاطِفٌ | خاطِفونَ |
| Genitive | خاطِفٍ | خاطِفينَ |
| Accusative | خاطِفاً | خاطِفينَ |
| Vocative | يا خاطِفُ | يا خاطِفونَ |
Word family
خطفto snatch, seize suddenly, kidnap
اختطافkidnapping, hijacking (the act)
مخطوفkidnapped, snatched away
خطفةa quick snatch, a grab
خاطِفةfemale snatcher; also fleeting (feminine adjective form)
Etymology
خاطِف is the active participle of the triliteral verb خطف (khataf), "to snatch or seize suddenly." The pattern فاعِل turns the verb into an agent noun, "one who snatches." This root is old and shared across Semitic languages, not tied to any Indo-European history, so it has no PIE ancestor.
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