sneak

[ sneek ]

verb (used without object)

, sneaked or snuck, sneak·ing.

1. to go in a stealthy or furtive manner; slink; skulk.

   Synonyms: steal

2. to act in a furtive or underhand way.
3. British Informal. to tattle; inform.

verb (used with object)

, sneaked or snuck, sneak·ing.

1. to move, put, pass, etc., in a stealthy or furtive manner:

   He sneaked the gun into his pocket.

2. to do, take, or enjoy hurriedly or surreptitiously:

   to sneak a cigarette.

noun

1. a sneaking, underhand, or contemptible person.
2. Informal. a stealthy or furtive departure.
3. British Informal. tattletale; informer.
4. sneaker ( def 1 ).
5. Informal. a sneak preview.
6. Cards. the lead of a singleton in a suit other than the trump suit, as in whist.

sneak

/ sniːk /

verb

1. intr; often foll by along, off, in, etc to move furtively
2. intr to behave in a cowardly or underhand manner
3. tr to bring, take, or put stealthily
4. informal.
   intr to tell tales (esp in schools)
5. informal.
   tr to steal
6. informal.
   intr; foll by off, out, away, etc to leave unobtrusively

noun

1. a person who acts in an underhand or cowardly manner, esp as an informer
2. 1. a stealthy act or movement
   2. ( as modifier )

      a sneak attack

3. informal.
   an unobtrusive departure

Usage Note

First recorded in writing toward the end of the 19th century in the United States, snuck has become in recent decades a standard variant past tense and past participle of the verb sneak : Bored by the lecture, he snuck out the side door. Snuck occurs frequently in fiction and in journalistic writing as well as on radio and television: In the darkness the sloop had snuck around the headland, out of firing range. It is not so common in highly formal or belletristic writing, where sneaked is more likely to occur. Snuck is the only spoken past tense and past participle for many younger and middle-aged persons of all educational levels in the U. S. and Canada. Snuck has occasionally been considered nonstandard, but it is so widely used by professional writers and educated speakers that it can no longer be so regarded.

Derived Forms

• ˈsneakily, adverb
• ˈsneakiness, noun
• ˈsneaky, adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of sneak¹

1590–1600; variant of Middle English sniken, Old English snīcan “to creep”; cognate with Old Norse snīkja “to hanker after”

Word History and Origins

Origin of sneak¹

Old English snīcan to creep; from Old Norse snīkja to hanker after

Synonym Study

See lurk.

Example Sentences

Quarterback Jared Goff threw an interception but had a first-half rushing touchdown on a quarterback sneak and threw a second-half touchdown pass to wide receiver Cooper Kupp.

From Washington Post

The Rams converted twice on fourth and one, once on a quarterback sneak by Goff and again when the Patriots jumped offside.

From Washington Post

Scheduled to make her official debut on the small screen in early 2021, fans have already gotten a sneak peek into what we can expect when season two of TheCW series airs.

From Essence.com

Now, Adobe has released a sneak peak of its upcoming Sky Replacement tool, which uses AI to analyze a scene and automatically swap out underwhelming areas of sky.

From Popular-Science

Will Smith shared a sneak peek of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air cast reunion Thursday that brought the fictional Banks family back to its California home after 30 years.

From Essence.com

Rick suggests a Woodbury-esque sneak attack on the hospital and lays out a meticulous strategy relying heavily on timing and luck.

From The Daily Beast

“It was a magical feeling, leaving daylight to sneak into a theater,” he says wistfully.

From The Daily Beast

While attempting to pull a bin of canned food toward him, Bob is momentarily pulled underwater by a walker sneak-attack.

From The Daily Beast

Check out a sneak peek of one of the most anticipated films of the year.

From The Daily Beast

The easily concealable and muted weapon would allow him to sneak up on his victims and get away afterward to kill again.

From The Daily Beast

That young cove right opposite to you is one of the best-known sneak-thieves in the city.

From Project Gutenberg

I was so angry when I saw another week sneak round and another bill appear, that I left it unopened on my bureau for a week.

From Project Gutenberg

So soon as this shelling stops I must sneak off to try and put our cemeteries straight.

From Project Gutenberg

He even ventured to reproach his friend: 'I shan't sneak of you, of course, he said, 'but you know you did it!'

From Project Gutenberg

We would have to sneak in order to keep the younger children from begging to be taken along.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• ambush
• crawl
• creep
• evade
• hide
• slink
• slip
• slither
• smuggle
• steal