sneak

• POS: Noun, Verb (intransitive), Verb (transitive)
• COUNT in NET: 1 in 1 verses (in OT : 1 in 1 verses)

CIDE DICTIONARY

sneak, v. i. [OE. sniken, AS. snīcan to creep; akin to Dan. snige sig; cf. Icel. snīkja to hanker after.].

•  To creep or steal (away or about) privately; to come or go meanly, as a person afraid or ashamed to be seen; as, to sneak away from company.  [1913 Webster]

  "You skulked behind the fence, and sneaked away."  [1913 Webster]
•  To act in a stealthy and cowardly manner; to behave with meanness and servility; to crouch.  [1913 Webster]

sneak, v. t. 

 To hide, esp. in a mean or cowardly manner.  Wake.  [1913 Webster]

sneak, n. 

•  A mean, sneaking fellow.  [1913 Webster]

  "A set of simpletons and superstitious sneaks."  [1913 Webster]
•  A ball bowled so as to roll along the ground; -- called also grub.  R. A. Proctor.  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

sneak, v., n., & adj.
--v.
1 intr. & tr. (foll. by in, out, past, away, etc.) go or convey furtively; slink.
2 tr. sl. steal unobserved; make off with.
3 intr. Brit. schoolsl. tell tales; turn informer.
4 intr. (as sneaking adj.) a furtive; undisclosed (have a sneaking affection for him). b persistent in one's mind; nagging (a sneaking feeling that it is not right).
--n.
1 a mean-spirited cowardly underhand person.
2 Brit. schoolsl. a tell-tale.
--adj. acting or done without warning; secret (a sneak attack).

Idiom

sneak-thief a thief who steals without breaking in; a pickpocket.

Derivative

sneakingly adv.

Etymology

16th c., prob. dial.: perh. rel. to ME snike, OE snican creep

THESAURUS

sneak

arrant coward, blackguard, caitiff, clandestine, couch, covert, cower, craven, crawl, creep, cringe, crouch, cur, dastard, devil, fink, furtive, glide, go on tiptoe, grass, grovel, gumshoe, heel, hole-and-corner, hush-hush, inch, inch along, informer, knave, lay wait, lie in wait, louse, lurk, nark, nightwalk, pad, poltroon, precious rascal, prowl, pussyfoot, quail, rapscallion, rascal, recreant, reptile, rogue, run, scalawag, scamp, scoundrel, scrabble, scramble, shadow, shirk, shithead, shyster, sidle, skulk, skunk, slide, slink, slip, slither, sly, smuggle, snake, sneaker, snitch, snook, spalpeen, stalk, steal, steal along, stealthy, stoolie, surreptitious, tippytoe, tiptoe, toad, undercover, villain, weasel, worm, worm along

ROGET THESAURUS

sneak

Cowardice

N cowardice, pusillanimity, cowardliness, timidity, effeminacy, poltroonery, baseness, dastardness, dastardy, abject fear, funk, Dutch courage, fear, white feather, faint heart, cold feet, yellow streak, coward, poltroon, dastard, sneak, recreant, shy cock, dunghill cock, coistril, milksop, white liver, lily liver, nidget, one that cannot say 'boo' to a goose, slink, Bob Acres, Jerry Sneak, alarmist, terrorist, pessimist, runagate, coward, cowardly, fearful, shy, timid, timorous, skittish, poor- spirited, spiritless, soft, effeminate, weak-minded, infirm of purpose, weak-hearted, fainthearted, chickenhearted, henhearted, lilyhearted, pigeon-hearted, white- livered, lily-livered, milk-livered, milksop, smock-faced, unable to say 'boo' to a goose, dastard, dastardly, base, craven, sneaking, dunghill, recreant, unwarlike, unsoldier-like, in face a lion but in heart a deer, unmanned, frightened, Int, sauve qui peut!, every man for himself!, devil take the hindmost!, ante tubam trepidat, one's courage oozing out, degeneres animos timor arguit.

VB quail, be cowardly, be a coward, funk, cower, skulk, sneak, flinch, shy, fight shy, slink, turn tail, run away, show, the white feather.

Servility

VB cringe, bow, stoop, kneel, bend the knee, fall on one's knees, prostrate oneself, worship, sneak, crawl, crouch, cower, sponge, truckle to, grovel, fawn, lick the feet of, kiss the hem of one's garment, kiss one's ass, suck up, pay court to, feed on, fatten on, dance attendance on, pin oneself upon, hang on the sleeve of, avaler les couleuvres, keep time to, fetch and carry, do the dirty work of, go with the stream, worship the rising sun, hold with the hare and run with the hounds.

Improbity

VB be dishonest, play false, break one's word, break one's faith, break one's promise, jilt, betray, forswear, shuffle, live by one's wits, sail near the wind, disgrace oneself, dishonor oneself, demean oneself, derogate, stoop, grovel, sneak, lose caste, sell oneself, go over to the enemy, seal one's infamy.

Knave

N knave, rogue, Scapin, rascal, Lazarillo de Tormes, bad man, blackguard, barrater, barrator, shyster, traitor, betrayer, archtraitor, conspirator, Judas, Catiline, reptile, serpent, snake in the grass, wolf in sheep's clothing, sneak, Jerry Sneak, squealer, tell-tale, mischief-maker, trimmer, fence-sitter, renegade, truant, recreant, sycophant.

Bad Man

N bad man, wrongdoer, worker of iniquity, evildoer, sinner, the wicked, bad example, villain, rascal, scoundrel, miscreant, budmash, caitiff, wretch, reptile, viper, serpent, cockatrice, basilisk, urchin, tiger, monster, devil, devil incarnate, demon in human shape, Nana Sahib, hellhound, hellcat, rakehell, bad woman, jade, Jezebel, scamp, scapegrace, rip, runagate, ne'er-do-well, reprobate, scalawag, scallawag, rou_e, rake, Sadist, skeesicks, skeezix, limb, one who has sold himself to the devil, fallen angel, ame damnee, vaurien, mauvais sujet, loose fish, sad dog, rounder, lost sheep, black sheep, castaway, recreant, defaulter, prodigal, rough, rowdy, hooligan, tough, ugly customer, mean mother, ruffian, bully, meanie, Jonathan Wild, hangman, incendiary, arsonist, fire bug, thief, murderer, terrorist, culprit, delinquent, crook, hoodlum, hood, criminal, thug, malefactor, offender, perpetrator, perp, disorderly person, misdemeanant, outlaw, scofflaw, vandal, felon, (convicted criminal), criminal, convict, prisoner, inmate, jail bird, ticket of leave man, multiple offender, blackguard, polisson, loafer, sneak, rapscallion, rascallion, cullion, mean wretch, varlet, kern, ame-de-boue, drole, cur, dog, hound, whelp, mongrel, lown, loon, runnion, outcast, vagabond, rogue, ronian, scum of the earth, riffraff, Arcades ambo, Int, sirrah!, Acherontis pabulum, gibier de potence.

Concealment

VB conceal, hide, secrete, put out of sight, lock up, seal up, bottle up, encrypt, encode, cipher, cover, screen, cloak, veil, shroud, cover up one's tracks, screen from sight, screen from observation, drawing the veil, draw the curtain, close the curtain, curtain, shade, eclipse, throw a view over, be cloud, be mask, mask, disguise, ensconce, muffle, smother, befog, whisper, keep from, keep back, keep to oneself, keep snug, keep close, keep secret, keep dark, bury, sink, suppress, keep from, keep from out of view, keep from out of sight, keep in the shade, throw into the shade, throw into background, stifle, hush up, smother, withhold, reserve, fence with a question, ignore, keep a secret, keep one's own counsel, hold one's tongue, make no sign, not let it go further, not breathe a word, not breathe a syllable about, not let the right hand know what the left is doing, hide one's light under a bushel, bury one's talent in a napkin, keep in the dark, leave in the dark, keep in the ignorance, blind, blind the eyes, blindfold, hoodwink, mystify, puzzle, bamboozle, be concealed, suffer an eclipse, retire from sight, couch, hide oneself, lie hid, lie in perdu, lie in close, lie in ambush (ambush), seclude oneself, lurk, sneak, skulk, slink, prowl, steal into, steal out of, steal by, steal along, play at bopeep, play at hide and seek, hide in holes and corners, still hunt.