sneak
verb (used without object)
to go in a stealthy or furtive manner; slink; skulk.
had sneaked
-
past perfectof sneak.past perfect
Used to express a completed action that took place before another specific past action occurred.
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.
Some tales put her in Europe, others in a car headed for Colombia, and another that she had sneaked out of the country aboard a U.S. flight that had dropped off deportees from Venezuela.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 12, 2025
A friend, who had sneaked back to the neighborhood in the days after the fire, shared a video that shows a blackened mess where the home the Rileys hoped to return to once stood.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 15, 2025
Galena, her 6-year-old American shorthair, had sneaked inside a 3-by-3-foot cardboard Amazon returns package alongside five pairs of steel-toed boots.
From New York Times ● Apr. 29, 2024
On Tuesday, the state's security committee said it had caught several "rebellious" sleeper cells that it said had sneaked in from outside and warned that they were planning activities.
From Reuters ● May 30, 2023
Either the kid they’d caught last night had a hidden accomplice, or someone else had sneaked onto the property after Curly had departed.
From "Hoot" by Carl Hiaasen
