ENGLISH
REFERENCE

sneak

n. countable
B2 Upper Intermediate US //ˈsnik// UK //snˈiːk// sneak Archaic Informal

n. a person who acts in a secret or dishonest way, often to get someone else in trouble. It is a casual word for someone who tells on others or hides their actions.

n. a person who behaves in a furtive, underhanded, or deceitful manner; often used to describe someone who informs on others. Informal in register.


SIMPLE

Don't be a sneak and tell the teacher.

CONTEXTUAL

The office sneak was caught looking through the manager's private files during the lunch break.

COMPLEX

While he maintained a facade of loyalty, his colleagues eventually realized he was a sneak who reported their every minor infraction to the board.

Synonyms
Origin

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.

Idioms1 entry

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