sneak1 verbsneak2 nounsneak3 adjective
sneaksneak1 /sniːk/ ●○○ verb (past tense and past participle sneaked or snuck /snʌk/ American English) 
WORD ORIGINsneak1
Origin:
1500-1600 Perhaps from Old English snican ‘to creep’VERB TABLE
sneak
| Simple Form | ||
| Present | I, you, we, they | sneak |
| he, she, it | sneaks | |
| Past | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | sneaked, snuck |
| Present perfect | I, you, we, they | have sneaked, snuck |
| he, she, it | has sneaked, snuck | |
| Past perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | had sneaked, snuck |
| Future | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will sneak |
| Future perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will have sneaked, snuck |
| Continuous Form | ||
| Present | I | am sneaking |
| he, she, it | is sneaking | |
| you, we, they | are sneaking | |
| Past | I, he, she, it | was sneaking |
| you, we, they | were sneaking | |
| Present perfect | I, you, we, they | have been sneaking |
| he, she, it | has been sneaking | |
| Past perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | had been sneaking |
| Future | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will be sneaking |
| Future perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will have been sneaking |
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- The thieves sneaked in while the guard had his back turned.
- We tried to sneak off from work early.
- Camille, who had sneaked in unseen to borrow the garlic-crusher, overheard this exchange and smiled.
- Deion sneaked up behind the announcer, who was wired for sound, and doused him with ice water.
- Even Mr Ratburn sneaks a laugh.
- I think it's going to sneak into each set of young people in each country.
- Instead, Wait sneaked off the sub and went back to his quarters and changed into a uniform.
- It wasn't hard to sneak a copy of the tutor's program and take it back to her room.
- The question came sneaking into her mind and, once there, it proved difficult to dislodge.
THESAURUSto walk quietly
to walk quietly and carefully on your toes because you do not want to make a noise: · I tiptoed out trying not to wake the baby.
to walk quietly and slowly because you do not want anyone to see or hear you: · Stella crept up the stairs, hoping not to wake her parents.
to walk quietly so that no one notices you, especially because you are doing something you should not do: · They sneaked off without paying.· I quickly sneaked out to have a cigarette.
to walk quietly without wearing shoes – also used about cats and dogs walking quietly: · Michelle got up and padded barefoot down to the kitchen.· The cat padded in, asking for her food.
Longman Language Activatorto enter somewhere quietly or secretly to enter a place secretly, hoping that no one will notice you: · When he was drunk he would sneak in late, hoping his wife was asleep.sneak into something: · He had a passion for bebop and was sneaking into jazz clubs at age 14.sneak somebody in (=help someone else sneak in): · We wanted to sneak my dad in, so my mom wouldn't see.
to enter a place quietly and quickly without being noticed: · Maggie opened the door silently and slipped in.slip into something: · A few latecomers had slipped into the room and were standing at the back of the audience.
to leave quietly or secretly to leave quietly taking care not to be seen, usually when you want to do something else: · Occasionally she and a friend would sneak off during their free study hour.sneak off/away/out from: · I don't know what he's up to, but he sneaks away from work early every Tuesday.sneak off/away/out to: · Annie had sneaked out to the bar, hoping that her parents wouldn't notice she was gone.
to leave quietly and without being noticed: · Harriet glanced around, wondering if she could slip out unnoticed.slip out/away to do something: · When everyone was busy talking I slipped away to join Beth for a quiet drink.
British informal to leave somewhere quietly and secretly, especially when you are avoiding work: · While the manager was away, Brian took the opportunity to slope off home an hour early every day.slope off to: · "Where's Sam?" "I saw him sloping off to the pub half an hour ago."
to leave somewhere quietly, without being seen, especially because you are ashamed or afraid: · Alyssia had dumped her fiancé just two weeks before the wedding, and then slunk off to the south of France.
to walk quietly to walk on your toes because you do not want to make any noise: tiptoe into/out of/past etc: · He tiptoed out of the room, trying not to wake the baby.· I tiptoed along the passage to Claire's door and peeped in.
to walk quietly and carefully because you do not want anyone to notice you: creep in/through/across etc: · Ron unlocked the back door and crept out into the yard.· No-one noticed that the little boy had crept into the room and was sitting there, listening.creep/sneak up behind somebody (=walk quietly up behind someone in order to surprise them): · She crept up behind him and put her hands over his eyes.
to walk quietly so that no-one notices you, especially because you are doing something wrong and do not want to be caught: sneak in/up/around etc: · The thieves sneaked in while the guard had his back turned.· Molly snuck around the house.sneak off (=sneak away from a place): · We tried to sneak off from work early.
to walk quietly and steadily, without shoes or with soft shoes, or on a soft surface: pad along/down/in etc: · Michelle got out of bed, and padded across to the window.· The cat came padding softly across the kitchen floor, and jumped onto my lap.
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES
a sneak preview of the new fashions for autumn
(=that you secretly feel, but do not show)· I have always had a sneaking admiration for his music.
a sneak preview of the new fashions for autumn (=a small suspicion)· We have a sneaking suspicion they're trying to put together a deal.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSADVERB· The streaming sunlight is just barely sneaking around the edges of these motel-orange drapes.
· It wasn't even as if she'd be able to sneak away - not with Anna.· Jimmy began to think about how he could sneak away and make his way east.· The boys had said nothing of their plans to their parents, before sneaking away last December 23.· The troopers watched us as though we might sneak away while we did our preflight inspections.· So I tossed him a road-kill, and sneaked away on the other side of the cabin.
· I rolled out like a ball but sneaked back in on the back seat.· I sneaked back, into the darkness and found Doris and tried to interest myself in the dishes for a while.· Sometimes I imagined that he'd sneaked back into the country and was leading another life.· They played cat and mouse with the Bay, now scrambling for the outside, now sneaking back in.
· Perhaps they sneaked in, excited, at the back.· Crumb managed to find out where the dancers rehearsed when they were in town and sneaked in to watch them.· But if an intruder does sneak in, all is not necessarily lost.· Musicians were so desperate to hear Michelangeli that they borrowed violin cases and sneaked in through the stage door.· It was cold, too, an icy wind sneaking in through the thatch and through gaps in the mud wall.· I felt like I had sneaked in.· But momentum was the thing - self-doubt came sneaking in as soon as they let up.· During the night, strikers managed to sneak in and out of the building.
· Their argument can reach such epic proportions that it is sometimes possible to sneak off without paying.· Instead, Wait sneaked off the sub and went back to his quarters and changed into a uniform.· But I still couldn't bear to see him sneaking off with some one else.· What Peg did was to take a bed-sheet from home and sneak off with it.· Contrary to the popular notion, the biggest threat isn't some boy hacker sneaking off with your card number.· And consider it your duty to sneak off early from work.
· She must have gone to bed some time ago, else Jessie wouldn't have been able to sneak out.· The Little Sprouts sneak out of the house with some extra veggies.· If she'd been sneaking out at night to meet Gabriel, Veronica could have heard her - and seen them.· The star player sneaked out of the house when he was grounded!· I was only the caddie, so I sneaked out.· Perhaps any attempt to sneak out would be a waste of time.· Finally one of the internee chairmen managed to sneak out to issue a protest with the high gendarme officers across town.
· The Dartford Tunnel was quiet enough for him to sneak through without loss of time.· The sort of plans we were preparing to sneak through would have provided up to half a million extra jobs.
· Tam had complained earlier about how he was for ever sneaking up on them and poking about while they were building the fence.· Once they found a herd, they sneaked up to within rifle range on foot.· They were trying to sneak up and gain entry without being seen by the shapechanger.· Advertisements are sneaking up on you from at least three new directions.· I imagine it would be virtually impossible to sneak up on an owl.· There was no sneaking up on this man.· Time had sneaked up on us and it was now December.· Deion sneaked up behind the announcer, who was wired for sound, and doused him with ice water.
NOUN· She sneaked a glance while Lucy poured tea.· Occasionally they sneak glances at the businessmen -- who look back at them in mutual amazement and fear.· He sneaked a glance at her from beneath his brows, his head still lowered.· Only the men would sneak glances at her, admiring the shapely figure showing in the plain uniform.
· That night she sneaked out of the house as usual, but this time she was carrying a case.· The Little Sprouts sneak out of the house with some extra veggies.· The star player sneaked out of the house when he was grounded!· It was after midnight when he sneaked into the house.
· Barton sneaked another look at his copy of Penthouse.· Babur sneaks a look at the policewoman.· After the second last Pitman sneaked another look behind him, and this telegraphed to Brian Fletcher that all was not lost.· Just before we left, I raised up to straighten my coat and sneaked a look at the McLaren girl.· I sneaked a look at my medical report; slow heartbeat, low metabolism.· I sneaked a look behind as we went off in a cloud of dust.· The chairman sneaks a look at some of the messages on Doreen's card.· From the fence I surveyed the area, sneaking a look to see if Shelly was lying in the window.
VERB· The next day I had just managed to sneak home and hide when Death arrived.· During the night, strikers managed to sneak in and out of the building.· Finally one of the internee chairmen managed to sneak out to issue a protest with the high gendarme officers across town.
· They were trying to sneak up and gain entry without being seen by the shapechanger.· Bright white shoes and bags tried sneaking into the fashion picture last spring but never made it.· Was this his way of paying her back for trying to sneak Kirsty down to London?· In those days, clients tried to sneak into your office without anybody seeing them.· Customs agents stopped Ahmed Ressam as he tried to sneak into the United States with a trunk full of explosives.· I tried to sneak out with an open-necked shirt, but she called me back.
PHRASES FROM THE ENTRY
1go secretly [intransitive always + adverb/preposition] to go somewhere secretly and quietly in order to avoid being seen or heard SYN creepsneak in/out/away etc- Babur sneaks a look at the policewoman.
- I sneaked a look at my medical report; slow heartbeat, low metabolism.
- I sneaked a look behind as we went off in a cloud of dust.
- Just before we left, I raised up to straighten my coat and sneaked a look at the McLaren girl.
- Men sneak looks all the time!
- Occasionally they sneak glances at the businessmen -- who look back at them in mutual amazement and fear.
- Only the men would sneak glances at her, admiring the shapely figure showing in the plain uniform.
- The chairman sneaks a look at some of the messages on Doreen's card.
They sneaked off without paying! She snuck out of the house once her parents were asleep.► see thesaurus at walk2take/give secretly [transitive] to hide something and take it somewhere or give it to someone secretly: I snuck her a note.sneak something through/past etc somebody/something Douglas had sneaked his camera into the show.3sneak a look/glance/peek to look at something quickly and secretly, especially something that you are not supposed to see: He sneaked a look at her.4steal [transitive] informal to quickly and secretly steal something unimportant or of little valuesneak something from somebody We used to sneak cigarettes from Dad.sneak on somebody phrasal verb British English old-fashioned informal to tell someone such as a parent or teacher about something that another person has done wrong, because you want to cause trouble for that person: A little brat named Oliver sneaked on me.sneak up phrasal verb to come near someone very quietly, so that they do not see you until you reach themsneak up on/behind etc I wish you wouldn’t sneak up on me like that!sneak1 verbsneak2 nounsneak3 adjective
sneaksneak2 noun [countable] EXAMPLES FROM THE CORPUS
- He was knocked out just short, but Young quickly got the touchdown on a sneak.
- In time, the system settles down and householders and sneaks pass on genes with equal efficiency.
- Ting, a senior quarterback, capped the Riordan scoring with a pair of 1-yard sneaks.
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES a sneak preview of the new fashions for autumn
1British English informal a child who other children dislike, because they tell adults about bad things that the other children have done: (=that you secretly feel, but do not show)· I have always had a sneaking admiration for his music.
a sneak preview of the new fashions for autumn (=a small suspicion)· We have a sneaking suspicion they're trying to put together a deal.
You little sneak!2American English informal someone who is not liked because they do things secretly and cannot be trustedsneak1 verbsneak2 nounsneak3 adjective
sneaksneak3 adjective [only before noun] COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES a sneak preview of the new fashions for autumn
doing things very secretly and quickly, so that people do not notice you or cannot stop you: (=that you secretly feel, but do not show)· I have always had a sneaking admiration for his music.
a sneak preview of the new fashions for autumn (=a small suspicion)· We have a sneaking suspicion they're trying to put together a deal.
a sneak attack a sneak thief