Showing results for "sneaking"

• present participle of sneak.

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

• sneakingness
  noun
• unsneaking
  adjective
• sneakingly
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of sneaking

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

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

sneaking

Holly is already known to police because she’s in the habit of sneaking into the house where she grew up and sleeping there overnight, to the vexation of the current owners.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 16, 2026

While other children were reaching for fruit snacks, I was sneaking handfuls of Castelvetranos from the appetizer tray.

From Salon ● Jul. 7, 2026

People keep sneaking into an empty IBM campus.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 7, 2026

But neither those measures nor Friday’s sizzling temperatures stopped fans from gathering in hopes of sneaking a peak at their longtime idol and sending Swift their well wishes.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 3, 2026

Ophie didn’t even like lying to her mama about the ghosts; something like sneaking out was out of the question.

From "Ophie's Ghosts" by Justina Ireland