English Explanatory Dictionary

sneak

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. One who sneaks; one who moves stealthily to acquire an item or information.
  2. The act of sneaking
  3. A cheat; a con artist.
  4. An informer; a tell-tale.
  5. A ball bowled so as to roll along the ground; a daisy-cutter
  6. A sneaker; a tennis shoe.
  7. A play where the quarterback receives the snap and immediately dives forward.
  8. Ellipsis of sneak preview
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.
  2. To take something stealthily without permission.
  3. To stealthily bring someone something.
  4. To hide, especially in a mean or cowardly manner.
  5. To inform an authority of another's misdemeanours.
adj
  1. In advance; before release to the general public.
  2. In a stealthy or surreptitious manner.

Pronunciation

/sniːk/ en-au-sneak.ogg

Word forms

sneak sneaks sneaking sneaked snuck

Etymology

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”), which is related to the root of snake. Compare Danish snige (“to sneak”), Swedish snika (“to sneak, hanker after”), Icelandic sníkja (“to sneak, hanker after”). Possibly related to snitch.

Synonyms

con artist trickster bristler bunco artist bunco-steerer chiseler confidence artist confidence trickster conman flimflammer grifter lugger magsman mountebank saltimbanco sharpster sharker shark-gull slicker smooth operator spiv bamboozler bouncer bullshitter cheat cheater cogger cony-catcher crammer deceiver deceptor fabricator fabulist falser gabber guiler liar losenger mocker pseudologist rook Scandaroon shammer Spanish athlete swindler swike treacher trucker wernard abaddon accuser beefer bewrayer bigmouth blabber blabtale blabtongue canary CI finger

Related words

covert move slowly

Derived words

area sneak goalsneak sneakage sneakbox sneak-cup sneak current sneakish sneak paddle sneaksman sneak around sneaker sneakery sneakflation sneakily sneak in sneakiness sneaking suspicion sneak out sneak past sneaksome sneak thief sneak up sneaky sneak peek sneak preview sneak attack
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