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

Simonetti snuck under the bashed garage door and took off running.

— eric adler and glenn e. rice, kansascity, "‘KCPD murdered my only daughter,’ says mother of woman who wielded decorative sword," 15 June 2018
Jonathan Conricus said Sunday that the tunnel would have been used to sneak divers out of Gaza and attack Israeli targets.

— Fox News, "Israel says it destroys land-to-sea Hamas tunnel in Gaza," 10 June 2018
The night before Jamer was supposed to head home, Claire convinced her to sneak out of her grandparents' house and go to the beach after dark.

— CBS News, "Were the murders of California teens the work of a serial killer?," 9 June 2018
The unlicensed vans that sneak between them and try to take their riders, of course.

— annie correal, New York Times, "Inside the Dollar Van Wars," 8 June 2018
While the boys were arguing with each other, noted cologne enthusiast Jean-Blanc sneaks in and steals their girl, swiping the group date rose.

— Time, "'The Bachelorette' Recap: Becca Goes On An Arie-Themed Date," 5 June 2018
Hamas spent years digging a network of underground tunnels as a way to sneak fighters across the border and bring mayhem to Israeli towns.

— The Economist, "The leader of Hamas in Gaza is the most influential man in Palestine," 26 May 2018
In 2014, Jermaine Baker, 41, put on a wig and his then-wife’s dress, sneaked into Anthony Townsend’s Aurora duplex and shot him three times in the head, prosecutors said.

— megan jones, Aurora Beacon-News, "Aurora man sentenced to 48 years in prison for shooting estranged wife's boyfriend while wearing her dress," 25 May 2018
As Benjamin, the only white male in the office, is about to ascend, his coworkers take turns airing grievances, offering him congratulations, sneaking in final furtive trysts, and wondering aloud about the injustices of their respective fates.

— dmitry samarov, Chicago Reader, "Refrigerator is a chilling look into the near future," 25 May 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

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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

Jenkins recently tweeted out another sneak peek photo confirming that Wonder Woman’s former love interest Steve Trevor (Chris Pine), who seemingly sacrificed himself at the end of the first film, will return for the second installment.

— refinery29.com, "Wonder Woman's 1984 Costume Has Subtle Changes — & They Make All The Difference," 16 June 2018
The sneak peek comes during a shoot for the product, which we were given a heads up about from Instagram account Trendmood1.

— rosemary donahue, Allure, "Kylie Jenner Releases Sneak Peek of New Sorta Sweet Palette," 16 June 2018
Visitors to the mall will see a sneak peek of Toy Story Land concept art and be able to hop into an interactive photo booth, according to BoxLunch.

— mike nolan, Daily Southtown, "Toy Story Land mall tour to make stop at Orland Square in Orland Park," 15 June 2018
The designer dropped by my office at the Time-Life Building in Midtown Manhattan to give me a sneak peek.

— andrew nusca, Fortune, "How Do You Calm a Crying Baby? With a Little AI, and Lots of Design," 14 June 2018
Ever since Kylie Jenner went public with her pregnancy and the birth of her daughter Stormi Webster with boyfriend Travis Scott, fans everywhere have become obsessed with spotting sneak peeks of Ky's baby girl on her IG account.

— alison caporimo, Seventeen, "Kylie Jenner Deleted Pictures of Stormi Because of Reported "Kidnap Threats"," 14 June 2018
In a series of posts to his Instagram Stories, Tarek showed a sneak peek of what he's been doing to the place.

— candace braun davison, House Beautiful, "Tarek El Moussa Shared A First Look At His New Bachelor Pad," 14 June 2018
On Tuesday, Dew and her children, along with others, were invited to a sneak peek of the result of those fundraisers: a shining new $2.4 million NICU, built a floor beneath the original one where Dew had Preston.

— libby solomon, baltimoresun.com, "Comfort and kangaroo care in GBMC's renovated NICU," 13 June 2018
View the photo gallery above for a sneak peek at downtown's new distillery experience, and see more Kentucky bourbon destinations below.

— jake emen, USA TODAY, "First look: Old Forester Distillery in Louisville," 13 June 2018

First Known Use of sneak

circa 1643

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

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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

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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

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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

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