1
: to go stealthily or furtively : slink
snuck out early
2
: to act in or as if in a furtive manner
3
: to carry the football on a quarterback sneak
: to put, bring, or take in a furtive or artful manner
sneak a smoke
Sneaked vs. Snuck: Usage Guide
Sneaked is the original past tense form of sneak, but in the late 1800s, the alternative past tense form snuck began making its way into American English. It is now very common and is considered standard.
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 sense 2
—usually used in plural
1
: carried on secretly : clandestine
2
: occurring without warning : surprise
a sneak attack
Examples of sneak in a Sentence
Verb
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?
Noun
What a rotten sneak! I should have known not to trust her.
He ran a sneak up the middle for a touchdown.
Adjective
a sneak attack on the nation's capitol
Recent Examples on the Web
Caroline Carlson, Literary Hub, 3 Nov. 2025
Berens brings his particular brand of Midwest nice to his latest hour (watch the trailer above), full of stories about growing up one of 12 children, sneaking a beer into church, gambling with his grandmother, and Midwest Cheap Hacks.
—Matt Grobar, Deadline, 3 Nov. 2025
The Athletic Nfl Staff, New York Times, 3 Nov. 2025
Obasi, whose film Mami Wata was Nigeria’s 2024 Oscar entry, will give a sneak peak of his new film La Pyramide, which is one of eight Works in Progress titles and was at the project market last year while still in development.
—Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 30 Oct. 2025
Mehera Bonner, Marie Claire, 15 Mar. 2017
See All Example Sentences for sneak
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Verb
Told in gentle, bedtime-friendly verse, this magical tale follows two siblings who sneak out into the twilight to attend a most unusual dance performance.
—Caroline Carlson, Literary Hub, 3 Nov. 2025
Berens brings his particular brand of Midwest nice to his latest hour (watch the trailer above), full of stories about growing up one of 12 children, sneaking a beer into church, gambling with his grandmother, and Midwest Cheap Hacks.
—Matt Grobar, Deadline, 3 Nov. 2025
Noun
About six minutes later, Dawson Knox caught a 30-yarder in the second quarter to set up the first of Allen’s two TD sneaks.
—The Athletic Nfl Staff, New York Times, 3 Nov. 2025
Obasi, whose film Mami Wata was Nigeria’s 2024 Oscar entry, will give a sneak peak of his new film La Pyramide, which is one of eight Works in Progress titles and was at the project market last year while still in development.
—Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 30 Oct. 2025
Adjective
Get Ready: Katy Perry Has Released a Sneak Peek of Her New Song
And the internet has receipts.
—Mehera Bonner, Marie Claire, 15 Mar. 2017
See All Example Sentences for sneak
Video
Sneaked vs. Snuck
How the irregular 'snuck' sneaked into the dictionary
Cite this Entry
“Sneak.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sneak. Accessed 6 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
sneak
2 of 3 noun1
: a person who acts in a secret or sly manner
2
: the act or an instance of sneaking
sneak
3 of 3 adjective1
: carried on secretly : clandestine
2
: occurring without warning
a sneak attack
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