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Added 30 September 2026

sneak

/sniːk/ noun

Categories: PeopleRare Words

noun Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about sneak at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

  1. One who sneaks; one who moves stealthily to acquire an item or information.
    My little brother is such a sneak; yesterday I caught him trying to look through my diary.
  2. The act of sneaking
  3. A cheat; a con artist.
    I can't believe I gave that sneak $50 for a ticket when they were selling for $20 at the front gate.

verb

  1. To creep or go stealthily; to come or go while trying to avoid detection, as a person who does not wish to be seen.
    He decided to sneak into the kitchen for a second cookie while his mom was on the phone.
  2. To take (something) in a surreptitious manner, so as to avoid being noticed.
    I went to sneak a chocolate but my dad caught me.
  3. To stealthily bring someone something.
    She asked me to sneak her a phone next month.

adjective

  1. In advance; before release to the general public.
    The company gave us a sneak look at their new electronic devices.
  2. In a stealthy or surreptitious manner.
    I was able to get a sneak peek at the guest list.

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.

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

Related Words: surreptitioussneakyskulkingstealthypussyfootfurtivelurkingnobblesnitchstooliestealpurloin

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