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.
Since then, it has worked to turn around the struggling sneaker chain, which was battling heavy losses and dwindling market share.
From Barron's • May 27, 2026
Americans who wanted to order the $500 sneaker were greeted with a message that it wasn’t available until Monday at 3 p.m.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 27, 2026
Soon, there was an influx of investment from sneaker giants who were in search of overseas factories that could help bring down their production costs.
From BBC • Apr. 26, 2026
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
I dug my sneaker into the dirt, crumpling a patch of brown grass.
From "Sir Fig Newton and the Science of Persistence" by Sonja Thomas
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.
