sneaking

American  

[snee-king] / ˈsni kɪŋ /

adjective

1. acting in a furtive or underhand way.

2. deceitfully underhand, as actions; contemptible.

3. secret; not generally avowed, as a feeling, notion, suspicion, etc.

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sneaking British  

/ ˈsniːkɪŋ /

adjective

1. acting in a furtive or cowardly way

2. secret

   a sneaking desire to marry a millionaire

3. slight but nagging (esp in the phrase a sneaking suspicion )

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Other Word Forms

• sneakingly adverb
• sneakingness noun
• unsneaking adjective

Etymology

Origin of sneaking

First recorded in 1575–85; sneak + -ing ²

Example Sentences

Tehran’s sneaking the occasional cruise missile or drone through air defenses in the Gulf also seems unavoidable.

From The Wall Street Journal

Anyway, sneaking off was part of the deal.

From Literature

Before you envision Emily Post clutching her pearls at the thought of sneaking out without a proper goodbye, know that etiquette isn’t about rigidity—it’s all about context.

From The Wall Street Journal

At a holiday gathering in San Francisco, partygoers sipped Celsius and kept sneaking glances at their cracked-open laptops with a mix of pride and fear.

From The Wall Street Journal

In one post on X, Ortiz wrote: "Are you there? ... say something to me directly instead of sneaking around like you talking to me where I'm not at."

From BBC