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
Sheri Linden, HollywoodReporter, 27 Oct. 2025
Here is Carreras profiting from that exact ploy while playing for Benfica against Barcelona in the Champions League last season, sneaking forward on the far side before receiving the switch and hammering a low cross into striker Vangelis Pavlidis to score.
—Anantaajith Raghuraman, New York Times, 25 Oct. 2025
Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 27 Oct. 2025
The Chiefs could try to get the Raiders to jump offside, run a QB sneak to try to convert for a first down or take a penalty and move the ball backward to set up for a punt.
—Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 19 Oct. 2025
Mehera Bonner, Marie Claire, 15 Mar. 2017
See All Example Sentences for sneak
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Verb
Ever alert to danger and vulnerability, Birdie and her shy, anxious friend Moses (Sky Yang) quietly sneak off to take part in protests against the regime.
—Sheri Linden, HollywoodReporter, 27 Oct. 2025
Here is Carreras profiting from that exact ploy while playing for Benfica against Barcelona in the Champions League last season, sneaking forward on the far side before receiving the switch and hammering a low cross into striker Vangelis Pavlidis to score.
—Anantaajith Raghuraman, New York Times, 25 Oct. 2025
Noun
Set in the old rail cars of a former train depot, the energy of Donn's sneaks right out the front door and onto the streets.
—Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 27 Oct. 2025
The Chiefs could try to get the Raiders to jump offside, run a QB sneak to try to convert for a first down or take a penalty and move the ball backward to set up for a punt.
—Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 19 Oct. 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 31 Oct. 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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