# sneak

Pronunciation: say "SNEEK" US /snik/, AUS /sniːk/

## Verb

1. To move quietly and secretly, coming or going in a way meant to avoid being seen or noticed.
   - Simple: To go somewhere quietly so that nobody sees or hears you.
   - _We sneaked out the back door while the speeches were still going on._
   - _Some teenagers sneak into the theater through the side exit._
2. To take something quietly and secretly, without permission.
   - Simple: To take something secretly when you are not allowed to.
   - _He sneaked a cigarette behind the barn when no one was looking._
   - _Kids at the party kept trying to sneak cookies from the dessert table._
3. To bring someone something secretly, so that others do not notice.
   - Simple: To bring something to someone in secret.
   - _Her grandmother would sneak her a twenty-dollar bill whenever her parents weren't looking._
   - _A guard sneaked the prisoner a note hidden in a loaf of bread._
10. To report another person's misbehavior to someone in authority; used with on. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: To tell a person in charge that someone else did something wrong.
   - _Somebody sneaked on us, and the whole class lost recess._
   - _If you sneak on your teammates, don't expect them to trust you again._

## Noun

4. A person who moves about stealthily to get hold of something or to find out information.
   - Simple: Someone who moves quietly and secretly to take things or find out secrets.
   - _Some sneak has been going through my desk drawers while I'm at lunch._
   - _The office sneak always seemed to have read the memos before anyone else._
7. Short for sneak preview. *(colloquial)* — Ellipsis of sneak preview
   - Simple: Short for sneak preview. Used for an early showing of a movie before it opens.
   - _The studio held a sneak of the comedy in a suburban theater to test the ending._
   - _The audience at the sneak cheered so loudly that the director kept the scene._
8. The act of moving or going stealthily.
   - Simple: Moving quietly and secretly so no one notices.
   - _After a quick sneak past the guard, they were inside the building._
   - _The cat made a slow sneak across the yard toward the birds._
9. Someone who informs on others, especially by telling tales to those in authority.
   - Simple: Someone who tells people in charge when others do something wrong.
   - _Nobody in the dorm trusted him once they learned he was the principal's sneak._
   - _"Don't be a sneak," she hissed as her brother reached for the phone to call their mother._
11. A play in which the quarterback takes the snap and immediately dives forward.
   - Simple: A football play where the quarterback gets the ball and right away dives forward.
   - _Facing fourth and inches, the coach called a sneak, and the quarterback pushed through for the first down._
   - _Their quarterback has scored four touchdowns this season on sneaks from the one-yard line._
12. A sneaker or tennis shoe. *(US)*
   - Simple: A sports shoe, like a sneaker or tennis shoe.
   - _He showed up to the interview in jeans and a beat-up pair of sneaks._
   - _She laced up her left sneak and hunted under the bed for the other one._
13. A dishonest person who cheats or swindles others.
   - Simple: A person who cheats or tricks other people.
   - _That sneak sold me a "genuine" antique that turned out to be made last year._
   - _Sneaks selling fake tickets worked the crowd outside the stadium._

## Adjective

5. Available before the public can normally see, hear, or use it.
   - Simple: Shown early, before everyone else gets to see it.
   - _The studio held a sneak screening of the film two weeks before it opened._
   - _Fan club members got a sneak listen to three songs from the new album._
6. Done stealthily or in secret, so as not to be noticed.
   - Simple: Done secretly, so that others do not see or know.
   - _The army launched a sneak attack on the camp before dawn._
   - _A sneak thief slipped in through the open window and took her purse._

## Verb

14. To hide something, especially in a mean or cowardly way. *(dated)*
   - Simple: To hide something in a mean or cowardly way.

## Noun

15. A ball bowled so that it rolls along the ground. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: In cricket, a ball bowled so that it rolls along the ground.
   - _The old bowler sent down a sneak, and the batsman had to dig it out of the grass._
   - _Village batsmen hated facing sneaks, which gave them nothing to hit._

## Origin

Possibly from Middle English sniken (“to creep, crawl”), from Old English snīcan (“to creep, crawl”), from Proto-Germanic *snīkaną, which is related to the root of snake. Compare Danish snige (“to sneak”) and Swedish snika (“to sneak, hanker after”); it is possibly related to snitch.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/sneak (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).