sneak

From its earliest appearance in print in the late 19th century as a dialectal and probably uneducated form, the past and past participle snuck has risen to the status of standard and to approximate equality with sneaked. It is most common in the U.S. and Canada but has also been spotted in British and Australian English.

Examples of sneak in a Sentence

They tried to sneak into the movie without paying.
She sneaked some cigars through customs.
He snuck a few cookies out of the jar while his mother wasn't looking.
They caught him trying to sneak food into the theater.
Can I sneak a peek at your quiz answers?

Recent Examples of sneak from the Web

Desperate to leave the event (an unsurprising perspective given his general misanthropic behavior), William sneaks off to a bar and orders a drink.

— josh wigler, The Hollywood Reporter, "'Westworld' Bloodbath Sets the Stage For a Deadly Finale," 17 June 2018
Under the cloak of darkness, more than two dozen parents sneaked out of their homes one evening in March, unbeknownst to their teenage sons and daughters.

— donna vickroy, Daily Southtown, "Parents' covert Post-it operation aims to encourage Argo students in aftermath of Parkland shooting," 7 Apr. 2018
Moore even snuck down to Whitfield’s unfinished basement during a party to check on its progress.

— stephanie petit, PEOPLE.com, "Step Inside the Chateau: Real Housewives of Atlanta's Shereé Whitfield Shares Her 'Dream Home'," 11 July 2018
Never sneak out, but instead offer a cheerful goodbye that will help reassure your child – and maybe yourself.

— mary caldwell, ajc, "Parent's survival guide to preschool," 10 July 2018
Mark Segal snuck onto the set of the CBS Evening News under the pretext of being a student journalist.

— sascha cohen, Smithsonian, "How Gay Activists Challenged the Politics of Civility," 10 July 2018
Luka Modric’s barely sneaks in, as Akinfeev got a hand on it to send it off the inside of the right post and in!

— rory smith, New York Times, "Russia Finally Falls, Leaving a Trail of Admirers and Doubters," 8 July 2018
The new team executive sneaked into the Mariners’ dugout in disguise yesterday, clad in a bushy fake mustache, shades and a hoodie.

— morning brief, The Seattle Times, "The state’s first wildlife-detection dog, plus Seattle’s sports power couple | Friday Morning Brief, June 22," 22 June 2018
By excluding candidates and dividing the opposition, Mr Kabila could sneak through under the first-past-the-post system without having to steal too many votes.

— The Economist, "Congo’s Kabila chases an unconstitutional, unpopular re-election," 14 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'sneak.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of sneak

akin to Old English snīcan to sneak along, Old Norse snīkja

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1594

in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

See Words from the same year

sneak Synonyms

Synonyms

lurk, mooch, mouse, pussyfoot, shirk, skulk, slide, slink, slip, snake, steal;

Related Words

crawl, creep, inch, worm;

pad, tiptoe;

Synonym Discussion of sneak

lurk, skulk, slink, sneak mean to behave so as to escape attention. lurk implies a lying in wait in a place of concealment and often suggests an evil intent.

- suspicious men lurking in alleyways

skulk suggests more strongly cowardice or fear or sinister intent.

- something skulking in the shadows

slink implies moving stealthily often merely to escape attention.

- slunk around the corner

sneak may add an implication of entering or leaving a place or evading a difficulty by furtive or underhanded methods.

- sneaked out early

sneak

noun

Definition of sneak

1 : a person who acts in a stealthy, furtive, or shifty manner

2 a : a stealthy or furtive move

b : an unobserved departure or escape

3 : sneaker 2 —usually used in plural

4 : quarterback sneak

See sneak defined for English-language learners

Examples of sneak in a Sentence

What a rotten sneak! I should have known not to trust her.
He ran a sneak up the middle for a touchdown.

Recent Examples of sneak from the Web

Download the free Amazon app to get a sneak peek of deals a week in advance.

— jessica suriano, azcentral, "How to shop like a pro during Amazon Prime Day," 12 July 2018
As usual, Amazon will unveil a sneak peek of the deals a week early through the Amazon app on July 9.

— chris sims, Indianapolis Star, "Amazon is already offering Prime Day deals before July 16," 5 July 2018
Check back here on Theater Loop for the review; in the meantime, Tribune photographer Terrence Antonio James offers a sneak peek.

— chicago tribune, chicagotribune.com, "'Jesus Christ Superstar' opens this weekend at the Lyric," 27 Apr. 2018
Nat McClatchyTwitter/EnvyNate via Storyful The Star-Telegram and DFW.com got a sneak peek at the driving range and lounge that will open May 5.

— nick tarrant, star-telegram, "Fort Worth native gets his shot at $50,000 on new TV golf competition | Fort Worth Star-Telegram," 6 Apr. 2018
The Johnson County Park & Recreation District board got a sneak peek Wednesday at the swimming pool complex the district will begin operating next year.

— david twiddy, kansascity, "Shawnee Mission schools’ aquatic center makes splash with county parks board | The Kansas City Star," 18 Jan. 2018
The panelists will discuss the show's exciting new chapter and share some hints of what's to come with a sneak peek into season 9, debuting in October on AMC.

— phillip molnar, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Comic-Con 2018: Here's your Friday schedule," 6 July 2018
As noted by Elle, Selena's assistant, Theresa Mingus, shared a sneak peek of the star arriving for the premiere on her Instagram stories.

— de elizabeth, Teen Vogue, "Selena Gomez Wears Oscar de la Renta at the "Hotel Transylvania 3" Premiere," 1 July 2018
The magazine hits newsstands Friday; here’s a sneak peek and a video from the skin-baring photo shoot.

— morning brief, The Seattle Times, "WSU quarterback Hilinski had CTE; travel ban upheld | Tuesday Morning Brief, June 26," 26 June 2018

First Known Use of sneak

circa 1643

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

sneak Synonyms

Synonyms

lurker, skulk, skulker, sneaker;

Related Words

skunk, snake, weasel;

sharper, slicker, swindler;

snoop, snooper, spy;

stalker;

sneak

adjective

Definition of sneak

1 : carried on secretly : clandestine

2 : occurring without warning : surprise

a sneak attack

See sneak defined for English-language learners

Examples of sneak in a Sentence

a sneak attack on the nation's capitol

Recent Examples of sneak from the Web

Get Ready: Katy Perry Has Released a Sneak Peek of Her New Song And the internet has receipts.

— mehera bonner, Marie Claire, "Get Ready: Katy Perry Has Released a Sneak Peek of Her New Song," 15 Mar. 2017

First Known Use of sneak

circa 1859

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

sneak Synonyms

SNEAK Defined for English Language Learners

sneak

verb

Definition of sneak for English Language Learners

: to move quietly and secretly in order to avoid being noticed
: to take or bring (something) secretly and often quickly
: to tell someone (such as a parent or teacher) about something wrong that someone else has done

sneak

noun

Definition of sneak for English Language Learners

: a person who acts in a secret and usually dishonest way

sneak

adjective

Definition of sneak for English Language Learners

: done while others are not paying attention

SNEAK Defined for Kids

sneak

verb \ ˈsnēk \

Definition of sneak for Students

sneaked \ˈsnēkt\ or snuck \ˈsnək\; sneaking

: to move, act, bring, put, or take in a sly or secret way

Ina-Rae lifted her desktop to sneak peeks at her valentines …
—Richard Peck, A Year Down Yonder

sneak

noun

Definition of sneak for Students

: a person who acts in a sly or secret way

Learn More about sneak

See words that rhyme with sneak Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for sneak Spanish Central: Translation of sneak Nglish: Translation of sneak for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of sneak for Arabic speakers

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sneaked vs. snuck

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sneak

Definition of sneak

Examples of sneak in a Sentence

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sneak Synonyms

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sneak

Definition of sneak

Examples of sneak in a Sentence

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sneak Synonyms

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SNEAK Defined for English Language Learners

sneak

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sneak

Definition of sneak for English Language Learners

sneak

Definition of sneak for English Language Learners

SNEAK Defined for Kids

sneak

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sneak

Definition of sneak for Students

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