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
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.
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
Alice Pfeiffer, CNN Money, 1 July 2025
At the end of Season 2, In-ho so graciously betrays everybody and eventually sneaks away from the pack, fakes his own death of the walkie talkie, and then puts his mask back on and punishes Gi-hun for causing this whole revolt and shoots and kills his best friend right in front of him.
—Jim Halterman, Variety, 1 July 2025
Peter Lucas, Boston Herald, 4 July 2025
Nintendo Switch 2 hits the shelves Nintendo’s first new console in 8 years is finally in stores, but before the first units were sold, Fox News got a sneak peak at some of the new games developed for the Switch 2.
—Pilar Arias, FOXNews.com, 18 June 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
At several shows, bright colors snuck onto the runway, sometimes paired with equally subversive messaging, and, at other times, a playful new take on tradition.
—Alice Pfeiffer, CNN Money, 1 July 2025
At the end of Season 2, In-ho so graciously betrays everybody and eventually sneaks away from the pack, fakes his own death of the walkie talkie, and then puts his mask back on and punishes Gi-hun for causing this whole revolt and shoots and kills his best friend right in front of him.
—Jim Halterman, Variety, 1 July 2025
Noun
The militant Islamic terrorist government of Iran, which has been waging terror and war on the United States for more than forty years, has killed close to as many Americans as the Japanese did during their sneak attack on Pearl Harbor Dec. 7, 1941, which led to war with Japan.
—Peter Lucas, Boston Herald, 4 July 2025
Nintendo Switch 2 hits the shelves Nintendo’s first new console in 8 years is finally in stores, but before the first units were sold, Fox News got a sneak peak at some of the new games developed for the Switch 2.
—Pilar Arias, FOXNews.com, 18 June 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 18 Jul. 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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