sneak

1 of 3

verb

ˈsnēk

sneaked ˈsnēkt

or snuck ˈsnək

; sneaking

Synonyms of sneak next

intransitive verb

: to go stealthily or furtively : slink

snuck out early

: to act in or as if in a furtive manner

: to carry the football on a quarterback sneak

transitive verb

: 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.

sneak

2 of 3

noun

: a person who acts in a stealthy, furtive, or shifty manner

: a stealthy or furtive move

: an unobserved departure or escape

: sneaker sense 2

—usually used in plural

: quarterback sneak

sneak

3 of 3

adjective

: carried on secretly : clandestine

: occurring without warning : surprise

a sneak attack

Phrases

sneak up on

: to approach or act on stealthily

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

Geordie snuck up behind John and clocked him, with an extra punch for Larry. —

Mandi Bierly, TVLine, 4 Aug. 2024 The deadlock wouldn’t last five minutes: Joseph sneaked a shot home in the 60th minute. —

Varun Shankar, Washington Post, 1 Aug. 2024

Noun

In January, Suni Lee posted a sneak peak on her Instagram of an uneven bars skill—a release that features a front flip with a full twist before re-grasping the high bar—that had never before been done in elite competition. —

Taylor Dutch, SELF, 29 July 2024 Before the 2024 Olympic Games kick off in Paris, Céline Dion is giving us a sneak peak of her sporty style. —

Hannah Jackson, Vogue, 26 July 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 See all Example Sentences for sneak

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.

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

Time Traveler

The first known use of sneak was in 1594

See more words from the same year

Cite this Entry

Style

“Sneak.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sneak. Accessed 19 Aug. 2024.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

sneak

1 of 3 verb

ˈsnēk

sneaked ˈsnēkt

or snuck ˈsnək

; sneaking

: to go about in a sly or secret manner

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

sneak

2 of 3 noun

: a person who acts in a secret or sly manner

: the act or an instance of sneaking

sneak

3 of 3 adjective

: carried on secretly : clandestine

: occurring without warning

a sneak attack

Last Updated: 8 Aug 2024 - Updated example sentences

Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.

Can you solve 4 words at once?

Word of the Day

lethargic

See Definitions and Examples »

Get Word of the Day daily email!

sneak

verb

noun

adjective

Synonyms

Examples of sneak in a Sentence

Word History

Dictionary Entries Near sneak

Cite this Entry

Kids Definition