SNEAK
What does "SNEAK" mean?
To move or do something quietly and secretly to avoid being noticed.
Meanings
- To move quietly and furtively in order to avoid being seen or heard. He tried to sneak past the sleeping dog.
- To do something or take something secretly or stealthily. She sneaked a cookie before dinner.
- A person who behaves in a furtive, underhanded, or cowardly way. Nobody trusts him; he's a sneak who reports everything to the boss. informal
- Done or carried out without warning; unexpected. The army launched a sneak attack at dawn.
Did you know?
- 'Snuck' is a linguistic latecomer: 'sneak' was historically a regular verb (sneaked), and 'snuck' only spread widely in American English during the 20th century, yet dictionaries now list both.
Word origin
Of uncertain origin, possibly from Old English 'snican' (to creep or crawl); related to the same Germanic root that gives 'snake'.
Remember it
SNEAK shares its quiet 'sn-' creep with SNAKE — both slip by before you hear them coming.
A little poem
Heel before the toe,
the staircase holds its old breath-
one board gives me up.
haiku
Wordplay
- I wanted to write a joke about sneaking, but it slipped past me.
What it teaches
Quiet feet still leave footprints; secrecy delays the reckoning, it doesn't cancel it.
Quick facts
What does SNEAK mean?
To move or do something quietly and secretly to avoid being noticed.
Is SNEAK a valid word?
Yes — SNEAK is one of the answer words in Wordul, the daily word game.
How many letters is SNEAK?
SNEAK has 5 letters and 1 syllable.
Where does SNEAK come from?
Of uncertain origin, possibly from Old English 'snican' (to creep or crawl); related to the same Germanic root that gives 'snake'.
What can SNEAK teach us?
Quiet feet still leave footprints; secrecy delays the reckoning, it doesn't cancel it.
How players do
Be the first to solve it.