snoop

[snoop]Informal.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR snoop ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used without object)

to prowl or pry; go about in a sneaking, prying way.

noun

an act or instance of snooping.

a person who snoops.

a private detective.

Origin of snoop

1825–35, Americanism; < Dutch snoepen to take and eat food on the sly

Related formssnoop·er, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for snooping

peep, intrude, stare, spy, poke, peek, pry, interfere, meddle, nose, peer, mouse, busybody, snook

Examples from the Web for snooping

Contemporary Examples of snooping

And they have no idea about the latest revelations of inappropriate NSA snooping.
Senators Clueless About NSA Bombshell
Tim Mak
July 7, 2014
Eventually Congress learned the NSA was also snooping on U.S. citizens through programs code named Minaret and Shamrock.
Spy Chief James Clapper: We Can’t Stop Another Snowden
Eli Lake
February 24, 2014
In other bipartisan news, President Obama fixes NSA snooping.
Up to a Point: P.J. O’Rourke on SOTU, the Super Bowl and Nukes
P. J. O’Rourke
January 31, 2014
The technology itself is only about flying without pilots, not snooping from above.
Learn to Stop Worrying and Love the Drones
Pierre Hines
September 17, 2013
Harry is understandably keen to try to protect Cressida from snooping snappers.
Is Prince Harry Going to Get Engaged?
Tom Sykes
August 28, 2013

Historical Examples of snooping

You never can tell when Jeremiah is snooping about, and he's a telltale.
The Cat in Grandfather's House
Carl Henry Grabo
Don't want any of that gang to come and find us snooping around.
The Ranger Boys and the Border Smugglers
Claude A. Labelle
He did that by night, just in case patrol craft might be snooping around.
Duel on Syrtis
Poul William Anderson
A snooping neighbor had noted the license of the car that had taken him away.
Cue for Quiet
Thomas L. Sherred
I'd hate to have men coming into my kitchen, snooping around and criticizing.
Fifty Contemporary One-Act Plays
Various

British Dictionary definitions for snooping

snoop

verb

(intr; often foll by about or around) to pry into the private business of others

noun

a person who pries into the business of others

an act or instance of snooping

Derived Formssnoopy, adjective

Word Origin for snoop

C19: from Dutch snoepen to eat furtively

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for snooping

snoop

1832, "to go around in a prying manner," American English, probably from Dutch snoepen "to pry," also "eat in secret, eat sweets, sneak," probably related to snappen "to bite, snatch" (see snap (v.)). Specific meaning "to pry into other people's business" is attested from 1921. Related: Snooped; snooping.

snoop

1891, "act of snooping," from snoop (v.). Meaning "one who snoops" is from 1929; meaning "detective" is from 1942. snooper "one who pries or peeps" is from 1889.