sneak

1 of 3

verb

ˈsnēk 

sneaked ˈsnēkt  or snuck ˈsnək  ; sneaking

intransitive verb

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

transitive verb

: to put, bring, or take in a furtive or artful manner

sneak a smoke

see also sneak up on

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.

sneak

2 of 3

noun

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

4

: quarterback sneak

sneak

3 of 3

adjective

1

: carried on secretly : clandestine

2

: occurring without warning : surprise

a sneak attack

Synonyms of sneak

Verb

• lurk
• slip
• steal
• slide

Noun

• weasel
• skunk
• sneaker
• snake
• skulk

Adjective

• clandestine
• covert
• undercover
• sneaking
• underground
• private

Choose the Right Synonym for 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

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

Still, very few spooky movies have snuck their way into the Christmas movie canon. —Bailey Richards, PEOPLE, 21 Dec. 2025

Quantum computing is right around the corner, which will allow other chips to sneak in and still be faster and cheaper. —Jim Cramer, CNBC, 21 Dec. 2025

Noun

However, Evans did have a sneak package during his sophomore season at Notre Dame in 2022. —Charlotte Observer, 16 Dec. 2025

Rocky sneaks after her, sprinting through Manhattan streets and even swimming across a river — all in red silk pajamas — to reach her and propose in a romantically cinematic gesture. —Mitchell Peters, Billboard, 30 Nov. 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

Word History

Etymology

Verb

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

First Known Use

Verb

1594, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Noun

circa 1643, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

circa 1859, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing sneak

• quarterback sneak
• sneak peek
• sneak preview
• sneak thief

Rhymes for sneak

• beak
• beek
• bleak
• cheek
• chic
• clique
• creak
• creek
• eke
• freak
• geek
• greek

Video

Sneaked vs. Snuck

How the irregular 'snuck' sneaked into the dictionary

Kids Definition

sneak

1 of 3 verb

ˈsnēk 

sneaked ˈsnēkt  or snuck ˈsnək  ; sneaking

1

: to go about in a sly or secret manner

2

: to put, bring, or take in a sly manner

sneak

2 of 3 noun

1

: a person who acts in a secret or sly manner

2

: the act or an instance of sneaking

sneak

3 of 3 adjective

1

: carried on secretly : clandestine

2

: occurring without warning

a sneak attack