Link Centre Dictionary

sneak

UK/sniːk/ US/ˈsnik/ common informal slang us
verb (4) noun (2) adjective (1)

verb

1.

to go stealthily or furtively

  • “..stead of sneaking around spying on the neighbor”
Synonyms
2.

put, bring, or take in a secretive or furtive manner

  • “sneak a look”
  • “sneak a cigarette”
3.
4.

pass on stealthily

  • “He slipped me the key when nobody was looking”
Synonyms

noun

1.

someone who prowls or sneaks about; usually with unlawful intentions

Synonyms
2.

adjective

1.

marked by quiet and caution and secrecy; taking pains to avoid being observed

  • “a furtive manner”
  • “a lurking prowler”
  • “a sneak attack”
  • “stealthy footsteps”
  • “a surreptitious glance at his watch”
  • “someone skulking in the shadows”
Synonyms
Similar

Origin

Possibly from Middle English sniken (“to creep, crawl”), from Old English snīcan (“to creep, crawl”), from Proto-West Germanic *snīkan, from Proto-Germanic *snīkaną (“to creep, crawl”), of sound-symbolic origin; compare formally unrelated snake, snoop, snook, snoke, and snoot. Cognate with Danish snige (“to sneak”), Swedish snika (“to sneak, hanker after”), Icelandic sníkja (“to sneak, hanker after”). Possibly related to snitch.

Phrases

  • area sneak
  • sneak around
  • sneak attack
  • sneak current
  • sneak in
  • sneak out
  • sneak paddle
  • sneak past
  • sneak peek
  • sneak preview
  • sneak thief
  • sneak up

Related words

Word family

Broader terms

See also

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.