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
Synonyms
Verb
Noun
Adjective
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
Beth Warren, USA TODAY, 6 Apr. 2024
Any thinner clouds or gaps in clouds will allow for a better chance to sneak a glimpse at the sun.
—Mary Gilbert, CNN, 5 Apr. 2024
Despite the foreign-food ban, a brownie had sneaked into the offering.
—Lauren Collins, The New Yorker, 1 Apr. 2024
Lisa Ko’s limber, ambitious second novel opens with three teen girls, bored at a Fourth of July barbecue, sneaking into a neighbor’s cookout to swipe burgers.
—Lily Meyer, The Atlantic, 27 Mar. 2024
Moon Rabbit’s bar director and pastry chef both sneak fish sauce into a few creations.
—Tom Sietsema, Washington Post, 26 Mar. 2024
And so far this fiscal year, since October, 140,000 people have essentially snuck into the country without being apprehended by border patrol along the U.S./Mexico border.
—CBS News, 24 Mar. 2024
That’s Elsbeth, who must crouch and sneak through a forest of legs to get to her crime scene.
—Phillip MacIak, New York Times, 21 Mar. 2024
Turning the other cheek when her mother-in-law, for the fifty thousandth time, sneaks her children candy with red dye in it, though she’s been clear red dye is off limits.
—Megan Angelo, Vogue, 21 Mar. 2024
Becca Longmire, Peoplemag, 21 Mar. 2024
According to an excerpt from the book, Musk secretly ordered his engineers to turn off his company’s Starlink satellite communications network near the Crimean coast last year to disrupt a Ukrainian sneak attack on the Russian naval fleet.
—Maria Kostenko and Simon Cullen, CNN, 11 Feb. 2024
Other than kicks, the cameras on the uprights can provide unique end zone angles, including on sneaks near the goal line or an aerial view near the pylon.
—Joe Reedy, USA TODAY, 10 Feb. 2024
Crustaceans could be the sneak play that gets people talking at your party.
—Chris Morris, Fortune, 6 Feb. 2024
Reps for the services did not immediately have comment, but such sneak uploads are common and challenging for streaming services to police due to the millions of tracks being uploaded to the platforms every day — multiple sources cite as many as 125,000, and probably more.
—Steven J. Horowitz, Variety, 29 Jan. 2024
Facing a fourth and 1 at the 49ers 14-yard line, Jordan Love's QB sneak was called short.
—Christopher Kuhagen, Journal Sentinel, 20 Jan. 2024
This isn’t the rapper’s first time teaming up with Nike for his own sneaks.
—Tori Latham, Robb Report, 5 Jan. 2024
The organization announced Monday a fresh rebrand with the unveiling of a new logo, three unique jerseys, and a sneak peak of the first court that will grace Intuit Dome when the doors open in October.
—Shane Young, Forbes, 26 Feb. 2024
Mehera Bonner, Marie Claire, 15 Mar. 2017
Verb
Pierson told agents that weapons were easy to sneak across the border.
—Beth Warren, USA TODAY, 6 Apr. 2024
Any thinner clouds or gaps in clouds will allow for a better chance to sneak a glimpse at the sun.
—Mary Gilbert, CNN, 5 Apr. 2024
Despite the foreign-food ban, a brownie had sneaked into the offering.
—Lauren Collins, The New Yorker, 1 Apr. 2024
Lisa Ko’s limber, ambitious second novel opens with three teen girls, bored at a Fourth of July barbecue, sneaking into a neighbor’s cookout to swipe burgers.
—Lily Meyer, The Atlantic, 27 Mar. 2024
Moon Rabbit’s bar director and pastry chef both sneak fish sauce into a few creations.
—Tom Sietsema, Washington Post, 26 Mar. 2024
And so far this fiscal year, since October, 140,000 people have essentially snuck into the country without being apprehended by border patrol along the U.S./Mexico border.
—CBS News, 24 Mar. 2024
That’s Elsbeth, who must crouch and sneak through a forest of legs to get to her crime scene.
—Phillip MacIak, New York Times, 21 Mar. 2024
Turning the other cheek when her mother-in-law, for the fifty thousandth time, sneaks her children candy with red dye in it, though she’s been clear red dye is off limits.
—Megan Angelo, Vogue, 21 Mar. 2024
Noun
Here’s a sneak peak of the @irishguards rehearsing for their annual parade.
—Becca Longmire, Peoplemag, 21 Mar. 2024
According to an excerpt from the book, Musk secretly ordered his engineers to turn off his company’s Starlink satellite communications network near the Crimean coast last year to disrupt a Ukrainian sneak attack on the Russian naval fleet.
—Maria Kostenko and Simon Cullen, CNN, 11 Feb. 2024
Other than kicks, the cameras on the uprights can provide unique end zone angles, including on sneaks near the goal line or an aerial view near the pylon.
—Joe Reedy, USA TODAY, 10 Feb. 2024
Crustaceans could be the sneak play that gets people talking at your party.
—Chris Morris, Fortune, 6 Feb. 2024
Reps for the services did not immediately have comment, but such sneak uploads are common and challenging for streaming services to police due to the millions of tracks being uploaded to the platforms every day — multiple sources cite as many as 125,000, and probably more.
—Steven J. Horowitz, Variety, 29 Jan. 2024
Facing a fourth and 1 at the 49ers 14-yard line, Jordan Love's QB sneak was called short.
—Christopher Kuhagen, Journal Sentinel, 20 Jan. 2024
This isn’t the rapper’s first time teaming up with Nike for his own sneaks.
—Tori Latham, Robb Report, 5 Jan. 2024
The organization announced Monday a fresh rebrand with the unveiling of a new logo, three unique jerseys, and a sneak peak of the first court that will grace Intuit Dome when the doors open in October.
—Shane Young, Forbes, 26 Feb. 2024
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
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'sneak.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Video
Sneaked vs. Snuck
How the irregular 'snuck' sneaked into the dictionary
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Cite this Entry
“Sneak.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sneak. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.
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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Merriam-Webster unabridged
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