sneak
- 01 B1 Intermediate
v.to move quietly and secretly so that people do not see or hear you.
v.to move in a stealthy or surreptitious manner to avoid detection.
Simple“I tried to sneak into the house without waking my parents.”
In context“The teenagers attempted to sneak past the security guard, but the gravel crunching under their boots gave them away immediately.”
- 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
v.to take, give, or bring something secretly.
v.to convey or obtain something surreptitiously, often bypassing rules or observation.
Simple“She managed to sneak some snacks into the cinema in her large bag.”
In context“He tried to sneak a glance at his colleague's notes during the meeting to see if his own proposal was mentioned.”
- 03 B2 Upper Intermediate
v.to tell a person in authority about something bad that someone else has done.
v.to inform an authority figure of another person's misconduct or secrets.
Simple“Don't sneak on your brother just because he stayed up late.”
In context“The younger students were warned not to sneak on their peers, as the school culture valued loyalty over strict rule enforcement.”
Usageusually takes the preposition 'on'
- 04 B2 Upper Intermediate
n.a person who secretly tells an authority about someone else's mistakes.
n.a person who acts in a stealthy or underhanded way, particularly an informer or tell-tale.
Simple“Nobody liked him because he was a sneak who told the teacher everything.”
In context“The office environment became toxic when it was discovered that a sneak was reporting private conversations to the department head.”
- 05 C1 Advanced
n.a play where the quarterback dives forward with the ball to gain a short distance.
n.an offensive play in which the quarterback takes the snap and immediately lunges forward.
Simple“The team won the game with a clever sneak on the final play.”
In context“With only inches to go for a first down, the coach called for a quarterback sneak to secure the position.”
Synonymsquarterback sneak - 06 B2 Upper Intermediate
adj.done or happening in a secret or surprise way.
adj.acting or occurring in a stealthy, unannounced, or surreptitious manner.
Simple“The army launched a sneak attack in the middle of the night.”
In context“The studio arranged a sneak preview of the film to gauge audience reactions before the global marketing campaign began.”
“He kept her there for four days before a couple of US aid workers sneaked her away on a private plane.”
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.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.