sneak 1 of 3

1
as in to lurk
to move about in a sly or secret manner the little kids sneak around upstairs when they're supposed to be in bed

Synonyms & Similar Words

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2
as in to infiltrate
to introduce in a gradual, secret, or clever way sneak the topic into the conversation any way you can

Synonyms & Similar Words

sneak

2 of 3

adjective

sneak

3 of 3

noun

as in weasel
someone who acts in a sly and secret manner "Why, you little sneak," the mother exclaimed, "you made my birthday present right under my nose!"

Synonyms & Similar Words

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How is the word sneak distinct from other similar verbs?

Some common synonyms of sneak are lurk, skulk, and slink. While all these words mean "to behave so as to escape attention," sneak may add an implication of entering or leaving a place or evading a difficulty by furtive or underhanded methods.

sneaked out early

When could lurk be used to replace sneak?

The words lurk and sneak can be used in similar contexts, but lurk implies a lying in wait in a place of concealment and often suggests an evil intent.

suspicious men lurking in alleyways

When is skulk a more appropriate choice than sneak?

In some situations, the words skulk and sneak are roughly equivalent. However, skulk suggests more strongly cowardice or fear or sinister intent.

something skulking in the shadows

Where would slink be a reasonable alternative to sneak?

The meanings of slink and sneak largely overlap; however, slink implies moving stealthily often merely to escape attention.

slunk around the corner

Examples Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of sneak
Verb
The film tries to emulate its peers’ lean, gritty formula but can’t resist sneaking in glamour locations like the Sacré-Coeur Basilica and Versailles. Elisabeth Vincentelli, New York Times, 10 Jan. 2025 Vape pen stuffed inside travel-size toothpaste tube - Chicago Midway International Airport Someone should've brushed up on the rules before trying to sneak a vape into the airport in a travel-size toothpaste tube. Terry Dickerson, NBC News, 9 Jan. 2025
Adjective
Get Ready: Katy Perry Has Released a Sneak Peek of Her New Song And the internet has receipts. Mehera Bonner, Marie Claire, 15 Mar. 2017
Noun
Netflix also showed an exclusive sneak peak of their upcoming online party royale game Squid Game: Unleashed. Destiny Jackson, Deadline, 12 Dec. 2024 Designed for daily runs, this sneak will give you a bit of a pep in your step, with foam that feels more bouncy than squishy. Jennifer Heimlich, SELF, 27 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for sneak 
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sneak
Verb
  • The only difference is that modern spies do not need to lurk around corners, listening through doors.
    Steve Durbin, Forbes, 13 Jan. 2025
  • Beyond Stephens, there’s a good bit of quality lurking in Sabalenka’s neighborhood of the draw.
    Charlie Eccleshare, The Athletic, 9 Jan. 2025
Verb
  • Without spoiling too much, Peter goes undercover as a catering employee while infiltrating a diplomatic gala.
    Stacy Lambe, People.com, 23 Jan. 2025
  • However, one of agriculture’s most potent biological threats, a virulent strain of avian influenza, has infiltrated henhouses over the past three years, roiling the $40 billion industry.
    Laurent Belsie, The Christian Science Monitor, 22 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • Given the clandestine nature of the process, the true number of fictitious sons who arrived during exclusion will never be known.
    Jane Hu, The New Yorker, 23 Jan. 2025
  • Inspired by the Belle Époque era in 1900 Buenos Aires, the soaring space manages to feel clandestine with its dim lighting, lush floral displays, and bartenders in crisp white jackets.
    Lauren Mowery, Forbes, 22 Jan. 2025
Noun
  • Since graduation, Chen has racked up assignments in Mozart, Beethoven, Donizetti, Verdi, Wagner, and Puccini with opera companies and symphony orchestras across the United States and in Europe, often as the motormouth buffoons and weasels of classic comedies.
    airmail.news, airmail.news, 7 Dec. 2024
  • When a weasel sucks eggs, the meat is sucked out of the egg.
    Harry Siegel, New York Daily News, 14 Dec. 2024
Verb
  • In the quarter, Apple slipped to third place — with about a sixth of the market, according to a Counterpoint research featured by Bloomberg.
    Peter Cohan, Forbes, 21 Jan. 2025
  • The 10-year slipped from a high near 4.8% back to 4.6% over a few days.
    Michael Santoli, CNBC, 21 Jan. 2025
Verb
  • For context, the US intelligence community is currently reeling after discovering that hackers linked to the PRC wormed their way deep into US telecommunications infrastructure, potentially compromising things like phone calls and text messages.
    WIRED, WIRED, 10 Jan. 2025
  • The uncertainty, the instability, the danger that pervades his life worms off the page and into your brain.
    Longreads, Longreads, 18 Dec. 2024
Adjective
  • Social Media Sites Are 'Vast Surveillance' Operations Even the Experts Have Trouble Getting Data Brokers to Stop Tracking Them According to Paxton, the covert data collection also violates the Texas Data Privacy and Security Act, which went into effect last July.
    Michael Kan, PCMAG, 13 Jan. 2025
  • Read: What Europe fears The Eagle S, however, apparently had a covert military purpose as well: Investigators discovered that the vessel was crammed full of advanced surveillance equipment, which used so much power that the ship suffered from periodic blackouts.
    Phillips Payson O’Brien, The Atlantic, 13 Jan. 2025
Noun
  • Any time an agricultural producer or horse owner or home gardener has a persistent issue with dangerous or destructive animals — skunks denning under a shed, raccoons raiding a chicken coop, bears gorging in a vineyard — Chandler can assist, either with advice or, if necessary, direct intervention.
    Malcolm Brooks Malcolm Hillgartner Krish Seenivasan Zak Mouton, New York Times, 31 Dec. 2024
  • That’s a sure way to invite not only raccoons but other unwanted guests such as mice, opossums, and skunks.
    Arricca Elin SanSone, Southern Living, 31 Oct. 2024

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Cite this Entry

“Sneak.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sneak. Accessed 27 Jan. 2025.

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