sneaking
Use Sneaking in a sentence
kɪŋ adjective
1.
acting in a furtive or underhand way.
2.
deceitfully underhand, as actions; contemptible.
3.
secret; not generally avowed, as a feeling, notion, suspicion, etc.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
verb (used without object)
1.
to go in a stealthy or furtive manner; slink; skulk.
2.
to act in a furtive or underhand way.
3.
British Informal. to tattle; inform.
verb (used with object)
4.
to move, put, pass, etc., in a stealthy or furtive manner: He sneaked the gun into his pocket.
5.
to do, take, or enjoy hurriedly or surreptitiously: to sneak a cigarette.
noun
6.
a sneaking, underhand, or contemptible person.
7.
Informal. a stealthy or furtive departure.
8.
British Informal. tattletale; informer.
9.
sneaker ( def 1 ).
10.
Informal. a sneak preview.
Origin:
1590–1600; variant of Middle English sniken, Old English snīcan to creep; cognate with Old Norse snīkja to hanker after
1590–1600; variant of Middle English sniken, Old English snīcan to creep; cognate with Old Norse snīkja to hanker after
Usage note
First recorded in writing toward the end of the 19th century in the United States, snuck has become in recent decades a standard variant past tense and past participle of the verb sneak: Bored by the lecture, he snuck out the side door. Snuck occurs frequently in fiction and in journalistic writing as well as on radio and television: In the darkness the sloop had snuck around the headland, out of firing range. It is not so common in highly formal or belletristic writing, where sneaked is more likely to occur. Snuck is the only spoken past tense and past participle for many younger and middle-aged persons of all educational levels in the U. S. and Canada. Snuck has occasionally been considered nonstandard, but it is so widely used by professional writers and educated speakers that it can no longer be so regarded.
First recorded in writing toward the end of the 19th century in the United States, snuck has become in recent decades a standard variant past tense and past participle of the verb sneak: Bored by the lecture, he snuck out the side door. Snuck occurs frequently in fiction and in journalistic writing as well as on radio and television: In the darkness the sloop had snuck around the headland, out of firing range. It is not so common in highly formal or belletristic writing, where sneaked is more likely to occur. Snuck is the only spoken past tense and past participle for many younger and middle-aged persons of all educational levels in the U. S. and Canada. Snuck has occasionally been considered nonstandard, but it is so widely used by professional writers and educated speakers that it can no longer be so regarded.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Link To sneaking
00:10
Sneaking
is always a great word to know.
So is ninnyhammer. Does it mean:
| a children's mummer's parade, as on the Fourth of July, with prizes for the best costumes. |
| a fool or simpleton; ninny. |
Collins
World English Dictionary
sneak (sniːk) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —vb | |
| 1. | (intr; |
| 2. | (intr) to behave in a cowardly or underhand manner |
| 3. | (tr) to bring, take, or put stealthily |
| 4. | informal chiefly (Brit) (intr) to tell tales (esp in schools) |
| 5. | informal (tr) to steal |
| 6. | informal (intr; |
| —n | |
| 7. | a person who acts in an underhand or cowardly manner, esp as an informer |
| 8. | a. a stealthy act or movement |
| b. (as modifier): a sneak attack | |
| 9. | informal (Brit) an unobtrusive departure |
| [Old English snīcan to creep; from Old Norse snīkja to hanker after] | |
| 'sneaky | |
| —adj | |
| 'sneakily | |
| —adv | |
| 'sneakiness | |
| —n | |
| sneaking (ˈsniːkɪŋ) | |
| —adj | |
| 1. | acting in a furtive or cowardly way |
| 2. | secret: a sneaking desire to marry a millionaire |
| 3. | slight but nagging (esp in the phrase a sneaking suspicion) |
| 'sneakingly | |
| —adv | |
| 'sneakingness | |
| —n | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
sneak
1560 (implied in sneakish), perhaps from some dial. survival of M.E. sniken "to creep, crawl," related to O.E. snican "to desire, reach for sneakily," from P.Gmc. *sneikanan, which is related to the root of snake (q.v.). The noun meaning "a sneaking person" is first recorded
1643. Sneak-thief first recorded 1859; sneak-preview is from 1938. Sneaky Pete "cheap liquor" is from 1949.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Slang Dictionary
sneak definition
|
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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Example sentences
But there they are, sneaking their gifts into the crevices of change.
Imagine how totally cool you would be sneaking the best part of fried chicken into everything.
Pets are not allowed, and the hotel will charge guests found sneaking in pets.
It's an intriguing way of sneaking cheat notes into a proctored exam anyway.
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