snoop
Americanverb (used without object)
-
snoops,
present (3rd person singular)
-
snooped,
past participle, past
-
snooping
present participle
noun
-
snoops
plural
-
an act or instance of snooping.
-
a person who snoops.
-
a private detective.
verb
noun
-
a person who pries into the business of others
-
an act or instance of snooping
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
snoopsimple
-
snoopssimple
-
have snoopedperfect
-
has snoopedperfect
-
am snoopingprogressive
-
are snoopingprogressive
-
is snoopingprogressive
-
have been snoopingperfect progressive
-
has been snoopingperfect progressive
Past
-
snoopedsimple
-
had snoopedperfect
-
was snoopingprogressive
-
were snoopingprogressive
-
had been snoopingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of snoop
1825–35, < Dutch snoepen to take and eat food on the sly
Explanation
When you snoop, you poke around in someone else's business. A teenager might snoop in her sister's room, looking for her diary. You snoop when you rustle through someone's garbage looking for love letters, and if you spy on your neighbor through the curtains, you also snoop. In fact, if you spend enough time doing this, you'll be called a snoop — a sneaky busybody. The earliest meaning of snoop, "to go around in a prying manner," comes from the Dutch word snoepen, "to pry."
Vocabulary lists containing snoop
Unit 4: Powerful Openings
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Shiloh
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
The Trumpet of the Swan
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
While co-COO at the bank, Bisignano directed staff to snoop on rival executives, people familiar with the matter told the Journal.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026
Camryn Smith and her daughter showed up to snoop around for the deals at the Americana at Brand in Glendale early Friday morning.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 28, 2025
There is something about a healthy personality that feels repelled by a snoop or a snitch.
From Salon ● Sep. 28, 2025
"I'd probably go up to them and say, 'Have you heard about the ban?' I'd rather be up front than snoop on a neighbour."
From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2025
I know I shouldn’t snoop, but curiosity quickly overrides my conscience as it often does—snoop-control issues—and I’m bending down and randomly perusing some of the papers on the floor: mostly old letters.
From "I'll Give You the Sun" by Jandy Nelson
He can be paranoid, but she snoops around a lot.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 18, 2026
Yet the very value proposition of VPNs rests on an internet rife with restrictions and snoops.
From Slate ● Jan. 10, 2025
Mr. Chew disputed that his app snoops on Americans.
From Washington Times ● Mar. 23, 2023
This highly-rated VPN received 4.5/5 Stars via PC Mag thanks to high-level encryption that keeps out hackers, ISPs and government snoops alike.
From Salon ● Jan. 8, 2018
Julia often snoops in my room, but she's never discovered this hiding place.
From "Black Swan Green" by David Mitchell
Postal Service in its crosshairs for an investigation of allegations that postal inspectors snooped on Americans via their social media accounts and online activity.
From Washington Times ● Dec. 6, 2022
The reporters who snooped on the weekend’s wedding via binoculars might have had a better view of what they were covering.
From Washington Post ● Nov. 21, 2022
If a third party snooped, they would leave indelible evidence of their interference—like damaging a quantum wax seal.
From Scientific American ● Sep. 22, 2022
The authors speculate it was perhaps high-altitude reconnaissance planes flying at 6 miles high that often snooped over Benghazi.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 31, 2022
As the Object dressed, I snooped around the bedroom.
From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides
Julian O’Neill investigates how the unlawful snooping was exposed.
From BBC ● Jul. 30, 2026
While snooping around the app a few weeks ago, I noticed a friend of mine had logged a film I’d never heard of, a little Tubi Original called “Hag.”
From Salon ● Apr. 5, 2026
Partway through the 1965 film “The Ipcress File,” Harry Palmer returns home to find a young, female colleague snooping around his apartment.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 27, 2026
An ATM con that involves some snooping, some acting and some sleight-of-hand is being carried out across Southern California, police say.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 25, 2026
“Miss Lumley. Your snooping or mail delivering or whatever it was seems to have been a bit of bad luck, for both of us. Now my little secret is out.”
From "The Interrupted Tale" by Maryrose Wood
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
