snoop

American  

[snoop] / snup /

verb (used without object)

1. to prowl or pry; go about in a sneaking, prying way.

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noun

1. an act or instance of snooping.

2. a person who snoops.

3. a private detective.

snoop British  

/ snuːp /

verb

1. (intr; often foll by about or around) to pry into the private business of others

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noun

1. a person who pries into the business of others

2. an act or instance of snooping

Other Word Forms

• snooper noun
• snoopy adjective

Etymology

Origin of snoop

1825–35, < Dutch snoepen to take and eat food on the sly

Example Sentences

Drawing on facts and clues that Kaede learns from the news and her own snooping, Grandfather ponders solutions in the sanctuary of his library.

From The Wall Street Journal

Like most VPN users, Canadians use VPNs for safer torrenting, streaming foreign and local content while abroad, protecting their data on public networks, and, increasingly, to keep corporate and government snoops away from their data.

From Salon

So much worse had happened now, the thought of her telling me off for snooping was irrelevant.

From Literature

E2EE has been hailed by privacy experts as the best way to protect conversations from hackers, corporations and even repressive authorities trying to snoop on users.

From BBC

An ATM con that involves some snooping, some acting and some sleight-of-hand is being carried out across Southern California, police say.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• intrude
• peep