What is Sniping? (memecoin term explained)

Definition: Sniping

Sniping is buying a token in the very first block(s) of its launch — often automatically with a bot — to get in before everyone else and at the lowest curve price.

Why it matters to memecoin traders

Snipers shape the early chart. Knowing snipers exist explains why a "fresh" launch can already be up 40% before you can click buy, and why early dumps happen.

Key things to know about sniping

• Done with bots that watch the mempool / new-pool feed and fire instantly.
• Snipers get the bottom of the bonding curve, then often dump on later buyers.
• Heavy sniping shows up as a cluster of identical early buys in the first seconds.
• Anti-snipe measures (delays, bundling caps) try to level the field.
• If snipers hold a huge share of supply, expect a sharp early sell-off.

A worked example

A launch fires; within one second, six bot wallets each buy 2% of supply. By the time a human sees it, the coin is already +50% and those bots are looking to exit.

What to watch out for

Sniping FAQ