Word
snooping
Phoneticssnoop·ing
US/ˈsnupɪŋ/
UK/snˈuːpɪŋ/
Definition
v. looking around a place or through someone's things in a secret way. You usually do this to find information that is not your business.
v. investigating or looking around stealthily, typically to find private information or secrets. Often carries a negative connotation of invading privacy.
Examples
“I caught him snooping around my desk this morning.”
“She suspected her roommate was snooping through her private emails while she was out of the room.”
“The investigation revealed that several employees had been snooping into confidential client files without any professional justification or authorization.”
Examples
simple
“I caught him snooping around my desk this morning.”
contextual
“She suspected her roommate was snooping through her private emails while she was out of the room.”
complex
“The investigation revealed that several employees had been snooping into confidential client files without any professional justification or authorization.”
Usage
The verb is intransitive and often takes the preposition 'around', 'through', or 'into'.
Pitfall
he was snooping my phone
he was snooping through my phone
Snooping is intransitive and requires a preposition like 'through' or 'into' before the object being searched.
Real-World Examples
“Even the audience isn’t immune to her digital snooping.” Scan code
englishreference.com/q/snooping