sneak
pronunciation
How to pronounce sneak in British English:
UK [sniːk]
How to pronounce sneak in American English:
US [sniːk]
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- Noun:
- someone who prowls or sneaks about; usually with unlawful intentions
- someone acting as an informer or decoy for the police
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- Verb:
- to go stealthily or furtively
- put, bring, or take in a secretive or furtive manner
- make off with belongings of others
- pass on stealthily
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- Adjective:
- marked by quiet and caution and secrecy; taking pains to avoid being observed
Word Origin
- sneak (v.)
- 1550s (implied in sneakish), perhaps from some dialectal survival of Middle English sniken "to creep, crawl" (c. 1200), related to Old English snican "to sneak along, creep, crawl," from Proto-Germanic *sneikanan, which is related to the root of snake (n.). Of feelings, suspicions, etc., from 1748. Transitive sense, "to partake of surreptitiously" is from 1883. Related: Sneaking. Sneak-thief first recorded 1859; sneak-preview is from 1938.
- sneak (n.)
- "a sneaking person; mean, contemptible fellow," 1640s, from sneak (v.).
Example
- 1. He stole the money and sneak out of the house .
- 2. Then they sneak back into the house , leaves and grass in their hair .
- 3. He claims roselli called at marilyn 's house at 10pm on august 4 , leaving the door unlocked so five hitmen could sneak in .
- 4. Port-au-prince , haiti - the gray toyota corolla edged closer to the center of the intersection , trying to sneak past the man with a limp , directing traffic in jordanian army fatigues , with a whistle and purple plastic wand .
- 5. In theory , fast has the potential to detect terrorists in the final minutes before they act , but critics warn that the system may have other consequences , such as flagging innocent travelers through false positives while letting some with ill intent sneak by through false negatives .