sneak

Meaning

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. (obsolete) 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.

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. (informal) 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.

Synonyms

creep

snitch

slink

steal

slip

lurk

stalk

sneaky

pinch

lift

snitcher

prowl

shirk

surreptitious

still hunt

snarf

sneaker

stalker

nobble

cabbage

mouse

🐭

skulk

steal up on

abstract

smuggle

crawl

sneak in

nark

hook

🪝

squealer

stealthy

stoolie

stoolpigeon

stool pigeon

swipe

pilfer

tattletale

canary

filch

prowler

purloin

pussyfoot

fink

rove

furtive

glide

telltale

tiptoe

undercover

underhand

underhanded

under-the-counter

undisclosed

unlisted

veal

vile

walk off

weasel

worm

🪱

creep away

slink off

sneak up on

tell tales

mean bastard

despicable person

delator

escape by stealth

worm into

slinker

under-the-table

creep about furtively

sub-rosa

toadyish

under wraps

abscond

stealthy step

ambusher

appellant

arcane

backstair

backstairs

bag

calf

catty

covert

creep in

cringe

dark

disguised

ex-directory

falter

grass

grovel

hangdog

heel

hush-hush

infiltrate

informer

insidious

knock off

lurcher

mystic

occult

peach

🍑

perfidious

pocket

privy

restricted

run

scrimp

sealed

secret

㊙️

shady

sidle

slip out

sneakers

sneaking

snoop

solve

squeaker

take

Pronounced as (IPA)

/sniːk/

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.