Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
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.
See Examples For:
Market stalls in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi have been shut, while police have stormed warehouses, clothing outlets and sneaker stores.
From BBC ● Jul. 5, 2026
Shares in the sneaker maker fell more than 3% premarket after it said it continued to face sales weakness in China.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 1, 2026
She succeeds Joe Vernachio, who was appointed in 2024 to help orchestrate a turnaround for the struggling sneaker brand.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 17, 2026
The sand-colored, cream-soled shoes Cornyn wore during his concession speech, a composite of an Oxford and a sneaker, looked a lot like the ones he’d been wearing when we spoke.
From Slate ● Jun. 5, 2026
I use the bottom of my sneaker this time since I’m not wearing jeans today.
From "A Mango-Shaped Space" by Wendy Mass
The 15 Yale founders live and work together in a space crowded with energy drinks, cardboard boxes from hardware purchases and sneakers by the entrance.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 5, 2026
NBA star Kyrie Irving walked out onto a basketball court in southwest China to rapturous applause, his brightly coloured Chinese-made sneakers a vivid statement of domestic sportswear brands' increasing global reach.
From Barron's ● Jul. 3, 2026
"Our son fought for his life, and his dad was always there. He gave everything, he sold everything: his clothes, his sneakers, even his U20 national team jersey, which he couldn't keep as a memory."
From BBC ● Jun. 30, 2026
Even without a degree, Tess is ambitious to climb the corporate ladder — once she swaps out her practical white sneakers for a pair of pumps.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 29, 2026
I’m thinking about Dad wearing black sneakers with white socks.
From "Shine!" by J.J. and Chris Grabenstein
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.
