sneak
verb
\
\
or snuck\ ˈsnək
\;
sneaking
Definition of sneak
(Entry 1 of 3)
sneak
nounDefinition of sneak (Entry 2 of 3)
sneak
adjectiveDefinition of sneak (Entry 3 of 3)
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Synonyms & Antonyms for sneak
Synonyms: Verb
lurk, mooch, mouse, pussyfoot, shirk, skulk, slide, slink, slip, snake, steal
Synonyms: Noun
lurker, skulk, skulker, slyboots, sneaker
Synonyms: Adjective
backstairs, behind-the-scenes, clandestine, covert, furtive, hole-and-corner, hugger-mugger, hush-hush, private, privy, secret, sneaking, sneaky, stealth, stealthy, surreptitious, undercover, underground, underhand, underhanded
Antonyms: Adjective
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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: Verb
The number of people arrested for crossing illegally has plunged in the last decade and is near its lowest level since the mid-1990s, illustrating a substantial downward trend in the number of migrants trying to sneak in. — Christopher Rugaber, The Seattle Times, "AP FACT CHECK: Trump’s speech exaggerates border peril," 6 Feb. 2019 Trying to sneak a ball by Kerber is something akin to trying to put one past a brick wall. — Howard Fendrich, BostonGlobe.com, "Angelique Kerber outplays Serena Williams, wins her first Wimbledon title," 14 July 2018 This is not the first time someone has tried to sneak a snake onto a flight. — Wayne K. Roustan, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Officers stop hidden snake from getting on plane," 10 July 2018 Vita and her brother would also play cards on the stairs going up to the roof and try to sneak into the 5 cent movies as often as possible. — courant.com, "Vita Gray," 10 July 2018 The risky short targeted its rival by featuring a Coke delivery man trying to sneak a bottle of Pepsi out of a store cooler. — Fiza Pirani, ajc, "Are these the best Super Bowl ads of all time?," 10 July 2018 But DiCiccio also claimed that Stanton and the City Manager's Office were lying for months and trying to sneak in the tax increase through the budget process. — Philip Athey, azcentral, "Did Phoenix leaders raise property taxes and lie about it?," 9 July 2018 Vardakostas started working the grill, sneaking free food to friends from his private middle school between shifts. — Lauren Smiley, WIRED, "The Mission to Build the Ultimate Burger Bot," 21 June 2018 They were further stymied by metal accordion gates, firmly locked to keep those in upper levels from sneaking down to pricier seats during intermissions. — Francine Uenuma, Smithsonian, "The Iroquois Theater Disaster Killed Hundreds and Changed Fire Safety Forever," 12 June 2018Recent Examples on the Web: Noun
Weiss gave her Instagram followers a sneak peek inside the event, and there were hundreds of beautiful pink flowers at the venue. — Nicole Saunders, Harper's BAZAAR, "Beyoncé Sang "Happy Birthday" to Diana Ross at Her 75th Birthday Party," 28 Mar. 2019 In an Instagram post, the designer revealed a sneak peek of a few handmade pillows she's designed with Loloi Rugs. — Elizabeth Gulino, House Beautiful, "Joanna Gaines Has a Pillow Collection in the Works, and I Want Them All," 4 Mar. 2019 Mattel gave their first sneak peek at the BTS dolls earlier this week, beginning with a tweet on Tuesday, March 19 that featured a close-up shot of the doll version of RM and his iconic dimple in his left cheek. — Allie Gemmill, Allure, "BTS's RM Mattel Doll Features RM's Iconic Dimple," 21 Mar. 2019 Today, Netflix blessed us with an intense, nearly three-minute-long sneak peek of the hit sci-fi series, teasing Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) and her crew, gigantic demogorgons, and some adorable teenage hijinks. — Nicole Saunders, Harper's BAZAAR, "The Stranger Things Season 3 Trailer Is Finally Here and I Am Not Okay," 20 Mar. 2019 Read on to learn more—and see a sneak peek of the spring collection. — Hadley Keller, House Beautiful, "Here's How to Do Glam Interiors Right," 11 Mar. 2019 Many South Koreans still harbor deep anger over the North's 1950 sneak attack that started a war that killed and injured millions. — Kim Tong-hyung, Fox News, "A Kim Jong Un visit to Seoul? It would be surreal challenge," 20 Sep. 2018 The two countries fought a bloody three-year war five years later after a North Korean sneak attack. — Hyung-jin Kim, The Seattle Times, "South Korean president heads to North for summit with Kim," 17 Sep. 2018 Bae will def appreciate the sneak-attack smooch: Facing each other on the bus? — Bernadette Anat, Seventeen, "How to Kiss: 20 Secrets Good Kissers Know," 2 Aug. 2018Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective
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. 2017These 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.
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Sneaked vs. Snuck
How the irregular 'snuck' sneaked into the dictionary
From the Editors at Merriam-Webster
Sneaked or Snuck: Which Is Correct?
Sneaked or Snuck: Which Is Correct?
It's a Modern English Mystery
Statistics for sneak
Last Updated
10 Apr 2019
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More Definitions for sneak
sneak
verb
English Language Learners Definition of sneak
(Entry 1 of 3)
sneak
nounEnglish Language Learners Definition of sneak (Entry 2 of 3)
sneak
adjectiveEnglish Language Learners Definition of sneak (Entry 3 of 3)
See the full definition for sneak in the English Language Learners Dictionary
sneak
verb
\
Kids Definition of sneak
(Entry 1 of 2)
sneak
nounKids Definition of sneak (Entry 2 of 2)
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