furtively
Americanadverb
-
in a surreptitious, secret, or stealthy way.
For decades, people living under Soviet censorship listened furtively to the news from the free world beamed by Radio Free Europe or the Voice of America.
Moonshine is untaxed liquor, furtively produced by the light of the moon—or at least out of the immediate reach of law enforcement.
-
in a sly or shifty way.
In the next scene, he darts furtively into a pharmacy storeroom to steal poison.
Etymology
Origin of furtively
First recorded in 1490–1500; furtive ( def. ) + -ly ( def. )
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.
She glanced furtively at the closed door and lowered her voice.
From Literature
No one who watched is likely to forget Rubio’s awkward stare as he furtively reached for a water bottle, cementing his reputation as the thirstiest man in the U.S.
From Salon
Indeed, students spoke furtively of the dark arts of circumvention.
From Los Angeles Times
I spotted one man with a hammer and a flashlight looking furtively around my son’s neighborhood.
From Salon
Bingeing can look different for different people, but for Specter, it involves “shoving food furtively into my mouth as quickly and passively” as possible, she writes.
From Los Angeles Times
Definitions 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.
