sneak

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“
Of the two the sneak is the less objectionable, because less destructive During this visit to Venilik, I spent some time in renewing my inquiries as to the fate of my yacht's crew, but without success, and I was forced to the sad conclusion that they must either have been drowned or captured, and, it may be, killed after reaching the land.

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Definitions (28)

Toggle American Heritage definitions American Heritage Dictionary (9)

  1. intransitive verb To go or move in a quiet, stealthy way.
  2. intransitive verb To behave in a cowardly or servile manner.
  3. transitive verb To move, give, take, or put in a quiet, stealthy manner: sneak candy into one's mouth; sneaked a look at the grade sheet.
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Toggle Century definitions Century Dictionary (8)

Toggle GNU Webster definitions GNU Webster's 1913 (3)

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Examples (49)

  • Joe, because he is good at his job, carries off the first two hits with ruthless efficiency -- sneak up on the target, shoot the target, run away. —  Cinema Blend Feeds
  • PIT's early FGs: "zip" put it best - even if Ben gets stopped on a sneak, the Cards have the ball at or inside their own 1, and they get to face the Pittsburgh defense, which is the class of the NFL. by Matt W (not verified):: Wed, 02 / 04 / 2009 - 11: 01pm
  • "A quarterback sneak is as elementary as it gets," O'Hara said. —  The Scores Report - The National Sports Blog
  • At times, I mooch, sneak, and spy for food of any sort from graduate events to club events of things I will never be the slightest bit interested in
  • Amanda was becoming known as the sneak of the school, but for this she did not seem to care I wouldn't want such a reputation as that," said Laura one day Nor I, either," answered Billie The boys from Boxton Military Academy had been over to see the girls several times. —  Billie Bradley at Three Towers Hall or, Leading a Needed Rebellion
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This word has been looked up 182 times.

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Roget's II Roget's II: The New Thesaurus

Allen's Allen's Synonyms and Antonyms

Used in the same context Used in the Same Context

sycophant ·  swindler ·  poltroon ·  hypocrite ·  impostor ·  cad ·  weakling ·  coward ·  scoundrel ·  time-server ·  toady ·  blackguard

Used in the same contextWord Family

sneak:   snuck ·  sneaked ·  sneaking ·  sneaks
Roget's II: The New Thesaurus, Third Edition by the Editors of the American Heritage® Dictionary. Copyright © 2003, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Etymologies (3)

Toggle American Heritage etymologies American Heritage Dictionary (1)

  1. Probably akin to Middle English sniken, to creep, from Old English snīcan.

Toggle Century etymologies Century Dictionary (2)

  1. from Middle English sniken (apparently snĭken, whence modern English *snick, with an allowed variant sneak), for orig. snīken (which would require a modern English *snike), from Anglo-Saxon snīcan (preterit *snāc, past participle *snicen), creep, = Icelandic *snīka (in pp snikinn, covetous, hankering after) = Swedish dial. sniga (preterit sneg), creep, = Danish reflex snige, sneak, slink; cf. Icelandic snīkja (weak verb), hanker after, beg for food silently, as a dog, = Swedish snika (preterit snek), hanker after; cf. Old High German snahhan, sneak, Middle High German snöuken, go secretly, German dial. schnaacken, schnacken, schnaichen, creep; cf. Irish Gael, snaigh, snaig, creep, crawl, sneak. From the same ult. verb are English snail, snake, snag smack, etc.
  2. from sneak, v.
 

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/snik/
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