sneak

1 of 3

verb

ˈsnēk 

sneaked ˈsnēkt  or snuck ˈsnək  ; sneaking

intransitive verb

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

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

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

4

: quarterback sneak

sneak

3 of 3

adjective

1

: carried on secretly : clandestine

2

: occurring without warning : surprise

a sneak attack

Phrases

sneak up on

: to approach or act on stealthily

Synonyms

Verb

• lurk
• mooch
• mouse
• pussyfoot
• shirk
• skulk
• slide
• slink
• slip
• snake
• steal

Noun

• lurker
• skulk
• skulker
• slyboots
• sneaker

Adjective

• backstairs
• behind-the-scenes
• clandestine
• covert
• furtive
• hole-and-corner
• hugger-mugger
• hush-hush
• private
• privy
• secret
• sneaking
• sneaky
• stealth
• stealthy
• surreptitious
• undercover
• underground
• underhand
• underhanded

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

While his family makes dinner and festive snacks, the young boy sneaks food and brings a dish to his neighbor's doorstep. —Kaycee Sloan, The Enquirer, 13 Nov. 2024

Devin Williams received back-to-back sentences of 25 years to life in prison for the fatal shootings of Maria and Benison Tran, who were shot at near point-blank range after Williams snuck into their Dublin home and confronted them in a fit of jealous rage. —Nate Gartrell, The Mercury News, 12 Nov. 2024

Noun

Fans of the Texas Longhorns can get a sneak peak at two UT teams this week. —Danny Davis, Austin American-Statesman, 22 Nov. 2024

McDonald's is bringing back the fan favorite McRib sandwich in Michigan this December, with an early sneak peak that includes a splash of sauce. —Jenna Prestininzi, Detroit Free Press, 21 Nov. 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

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

Phrases Containing sneak

• quarterback sneak
• sneak peek
• sneak preview
• sneak thief

Video

Sneaked vs. Snuck

How the irregular 'snuck' sneaked into the dictionary

Kids Definition

sneak

1 of 3 verb

ˈsnēk 

sneaked ˈsnēkt  or snuck ˈsnək  ; sneaking

1

: to go about in a sly or secret manner

2

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

sneak

2 of 3 noun

1

: a person who acts in a secret or sly manner

2

: the act or an instance of sneaking

sneak

3 of 3 adjective

1

: carried on secretly : clandestine

2

: occurring without warning

a sneak attack