sneak
verb (used without object)
to go in a stealthy or furtive manner; slink; skulk.
had been sneaking
-
past perfect progressiveof sneak.past perfect progressive
Used to describe an action that was ongoing continuously in the past up until another past event interrupted it.
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.
It attracts the fantastical too: during the pandemic, Lewis said, she discovered a baby squirrel had been sneaking in and hiding acorns under her pillow.
From New York Times ● Jun. 5, 2023
For months, Lisa had been sneaking into Ralphie’s room in the middle of the night to turn the lights off.
From Seattle Times ● Aug. 9, 2021
About two weeks later, the girl told her mom’s friend she had been sneaking out, according to the charges.
From Washington Times ● Nov. 25, 2020
The teen, his mother would later learn, had been sneaking online despite the court order.
From Washington Post ● Mar. 26, 2018
Laleh had been sneaking the Nowruz desserts—baqlava and bahmieh—all afternoon.
From "Darius the Great Is Not Okay" by Adib Khorram
