Etymology
Origin of sneaker
Explanation
Athletic or casual rubber-soled shoes are called sneakers. Before you walk your neighbor's Great Dane, you'll have to take off your work shoes and put on your sneakers. You can also call sneakers tennis shoes, kicks, or running shoes, and if you're in Britain, you can call them trainers or plimsolls. Sneakers are made for exercise and sports, but they're also very popular everyday shoes because they're so comfortable. Sneaker, which is most common in the Northeast US, comes from their noiseless rubber soles, perfect for sneaking. Originally, they were called sneaks.
Vocabulary lists containing sneaker
"On Turning Ten" by Billy Collins
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"Going Green with Cameron Diaz"
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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.
The brand’s meets and races are stacked with swag and samples from not only sneaker sellers but the fitness app Strava, massage gun maker Therabody, as well as food and beer brands.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 13, 2026
Now a sneaker free agent after his high-profile departure from longtime sponsor Under Armour, Curry honored his contemporary with a blue and yellow version of the LeBron X iD sneakers.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 10, 2026
The company has worked with a sneaker reseller to detect dupes with high accuracy, he says.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 17, 2026
On Holding sank 14% after the Swiss sneaker maker’s guidance for the current fiscal year missed analysts’ expectations, overshadowing better-than-expected earnings for the fourth quarter.
From Barron's • Mar. 3, 2026
In an instant, the other students are gone, swept away in the roaring tide of voices and slamming lockers and sneaker squeaks down the hallway outside.
From "The Sea in Winter" by Christine Day
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.
