sneaking 1 of 2

adjective

ˈsnē-kiŋ How to pronounce sneaking (audio)
Definition of sneakingnext
1
as in shady
given to acting in secret and to concealing one's intentions never let one of those sneaking salespeople into your house

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in sneak
undertaken or done so as to escape being observed or known by others harbored a sneaking admiration for his chief business rival

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in lame
arousing or deserving of one's loathing and disgust a sneaking two-timer who has completely lost his wife's trust

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

sneaking

2 of 2

verb

present participle of sneak
1
as in lurking
to move about in a sly or secret manner the little kids sneak around upstairs when they're supposed to be in bed

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2
as in infiltrating
to introduce in a gradual, secret, or clever way sneak the topic into the conversation any way you can

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of sneaking
Adjective
Contributor Yelena Alpert has a sneaking suspicion that these Frette slippers will last a lifetime, attributing her hypothesis to the shoe’s superior quality. — Julia Harrison, Architectural Digest, 10 Mar. 2026 The package includes free breakfast for your plus-one (no more sneaking snacks away from the conference), a signature drink each night (perfect for unwinding after your workday ends), and 1,000 bonus IHG One Rewards points. — Kimberly Wilson, Essence, 23 Apr. 2025
Verb
Police are investigating a rash of incidents involving people sneaking out of sewers. — Karissa Waddick, USA Today, 25 Aug. 2026 Pinch-hitter Eli White followed by sneaking a soft line drive up the middle to drive in Durbin, cutting the Giants’ lead to 2-1. — Justice Delos Santos, Mercury News, 23 Aug. 2026 While the hot-cold cycles didn’t completely erase the tension of being confined in a car with my kids, sneaking away to the adults-only mineral pools — one enriched with magnesium, another with potassium — was a nice reset. — Jamie Siebrase, Denver Post, 20 Aug. 2026 South Florida graffiti artist Atomik was arrested Monday morning after sneaking into the site of the former Miami Seaquarium, police say. — Madeleine Marr, Miami Herald, 19 Aug. 2026 Look at her hiding it under a towel and sneaking it like a high school kid. — Amber Harding Outkick, FOXNews.com, 18 Aug. 2026 James Marcus Haney made his name as a filmmaker sneaking into Coachella, Glastonbury and other top music festivals by posing as press to get exclusive footage of pop stars and their performances. — Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 17 Aug. 2026 In addition to dark transits, another tactic for sneaking oil supplies through the strait is ship-to-ship transfers, a practice Iran and Russia have previously used to get their oil tankers past Western sanctions. — Jason Ma, Fortune, 14 Aug. 2026 The fact that each tally mark was a dollar in the band’s pocket, and that sneaking in was essentially stealing money from them, also didn’t faze us. — Literary Hub, 7 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sneaking
  1. shady
  2. clandestine
  3. lame
  4. lurking
  5. infiltrating
  6. sneaky
  7. undercover
  8. dirty
Adjective
  • But for now, CyberLeek is trying to monetize the GTA 6 leaks by asking for shady donations.
    — Michael Kan, PC Magazine, 25 Aug. 2026
  • Others sat in shady spots on Montrose Avenue where the parade units combined with waiting community groups to end the parade at the festival grounds.
    — Karie Angell Luc, Chicago Tribune, 24 Aug. 2026
Definition of shady
Adjective
  • The clandestine manner in which LG monitors were installing ad-pushing software onto third-party devices, however, remains seriously concerning.
    — Scharon Harding, ArsTechnica, 24 Aug. 2026
  • The clandestine transits have changed the game for the Middle Eastern oil industry.
    — David Goldman, CNN Money, 22 Aug. 2026
Definition of clandestine
Adjective
  • But between now, November and the lame-duck period, there’s still time to pass legislation before election results shake things up.
    — Washington Post Opinions, Washington Post, 19 Aug. 2026
  • Payton seemed awfully pleased with himself for his lame dad joke.
    — Michael Cunningham, AJC.com, 17 Aug. 2026
Definition of lame
Verb
  • Audiences embraced the films for their creeping realism and slow-building scares, which transformed ordinary bedrooms, hallways and home security cameras into places where something terrifying might be lurking just outside the frame.
    — Dave Quinn, PEOPLE, 26 Aug. 2026
  • Filmmaker Bennie Safdie was also seen lurking at the shows with a camera.
    — Zac Ntim, Deadline, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of lurking
Verb
  • Meghan expressed concern that school pickups and dropoffs would lead to a swarm of paparazzi infiltrating the moment.
    — Sameen Chaudhry, USA Today, 20 Aug. 2026
  • Dozens of pages of documents describe agents secretly infiltrating meetings, monitoring activist chat groups and using license plate numbers to compile names of people who attended gatherings.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of infiltrating
Adjective
  • One of Braun’s strengths is an almost sneaky explosiveness combined with reckless abandon — whether sprinting on run-outs, squirting free on back-door cuts, throwing his body into the paint, or rising high to finish open looks from beyond the arc.
    — Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 25 Aug. 2026
  • Even if Jacobs gets the majority of goal-line work, Lloyd could be a sneaky RB3/Flex.
    — Jake Ciely, New York Times, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of sneaky
Adjective
  • According to government documents, an undercover DHS agent attended a meeting of ICE protesters at Prince of Peace in February.
    — Meg Anderson, NPR, 25 Aug. 2026
  • Starring Steve Coogan, Legends chronicles the lives of undercover British customs investigators.
    — Jake Kanter, Deadline, 24 Aug. 2026
Definition of undercover
Adjective
  • The dogs, according to the charges, had dirty water and their fur was stained with urine and feces.
    — Post-Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 31 Aug. 2026
  • Fourth, the handle needed to be patterned for a secure grip even in dirty, wet conditions, so checkering or deep ribbing was added to the alloy metal.
    — David Szondy August 30, New Atlas, 30 Aug. 2026
Definition of dirty

Browse Nearby Words

sneakiness
sneaking
sneaking up
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Cite this Entry

“Sneaking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sneaking. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

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