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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Examples Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for sneaking
  1. shady
  2. lame
  3. lurking
  4. infiltrating
  5. sneaky
  6. clandestine
  7. dirty
  8. slipping
Adjective
  • To avoid having to go upstairs to a guest room for nap time, the shady privacy of a cabana offers a perfect space for young children (or tired parents) to nap.
    Margaux Lushing, Forbes, 5 Nov. 2024
  • Yang shared on his Instagram Stories in response to fans who saw it as a shady portrayal.
    Natalie Oganesyan, Deadline, 3 Nov. 2024
Definition of shady
Adjective
  • As holidays go, however, Flag Day can feel a bit lame.
    Kevin Fisher-Paulson, San Francisco Chronicle, 8 June 2021
  • My 11-year-old loved watching the pups roll balls and play a giant floor piano, but for non-dog owners (guilty as charged), parts of the series—like dressing dogs in little hats and outfits for a Parisian fashion show—feel lame.
    Tim Neville, Outside Online, 23 Nov. 2020
Definition of lame
Verb
  • Where a few of the more voracious readers are surely lurking on secret Goodreads accounts, others may well treat the latest buzzy novel a bit like a trendy accessory.
    Hannah Jackson, Vogue, 4 Oct. 2024
  • Teddy saves the day and a life, but the more interesting twist to Nora’s surgery is the young woman lurking in the shadows.
    Lincee Ray, EW.com, 4 Oct. 2024
Definition of lurking
Verb
  • But exposing the ease of infiltrating Y-12, where the government produces and stores atomic-bomb fuel, is Rice’s main objective.
    Jared Sullivan, The Atlantic, 17 Oct. 2024
  • Once content with simply infiltrating Western companies with fake IT workers to siphon off funds and steal intellectual property, North Korean operatives are now resorting to extortion.
    Lars Daniel, Forbes, 17 Oct. 2024
Definition of infiltrating
Adjective
  • But Gophers receiver Daniel Jackson’s catch in the fourth quarter of the 25-17 win over Illinois on Saturday was sneaky special.
    Andy Greder, Twin Cities, 7 Nov. 2024
  • The streaming service announced the date in a sneaky, blink-and-you'll-miss-it moment toward the end of a teaser trailer that announced upcoming 2024-2025 Marvel Studios' titles launching exclusively on Disney+.
    John Tufts, The Courier-Journal, 4 Nov. 2024
Definition of sneaky
Adjective
  • Congress in recent years has been hot on the UAP trail, as a bipartisan but still somewhat fringe-y coalition of lawmakers has held hearings and applied pressure on other government entities to release information, particularly about any clandestine programs using taxpayer money.
    Tribune News Service, The Mercury News, 14 Nov. 2024
  • The premise hinges on the idea that China is Mexico’s number-one oil buyer — formidable leverage for the mysterious Chinese agent’s clandestine plot.
    Andy Andersen, Vulture, 28 Oct. 2024
Definition of clandestine
Adjective
  • Carbon emissions would increase because there is a dearth of renewables and the world would have to burn dirtier fossil fuels from non-Western entities.
    Dan Ikenson, Forbes, 4 Nov. 2024
  • Yes, but: Charlie Bailey, a former Fulton County gang prosecutor who ran for lieutenant governor as a Democrat in 2022, told Axios that the RICO law was created to catch leaders of criminal organizations who weren't doing the dirty work.
    Kristal Dixon, Axios, 4 Nov. 2024
Definition of dirty
Verb
  • The Berkeley poll also found support slipping for an initiative to increase California’s minimum wage which, along with Proposition 36, is among the 10 statewide measures on California’s November ballot.
    Anabel Sosa, Los Angeles Times, 4 Oct. 2024
  • With so much uncertainty, brands are slipping through the cracks and effectively skirting regulation altogether, Leas says.
    Jamie Ducharme, TIME, 4 Oct. 2024
Definition of slipping
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.

Thesaurus Entries Near sneaking

sneakiness

sneaking

sneaking up

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

“Sneaking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sneaking. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.

Copy Citation

Share

More from Merriam-Webster on sneaking

Nglish: Translation of sneaking for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of sneaking for Arabic Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See All

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

Plural and Possessive Names: A Guide

The Difference Between 'i.e.' and 'e.g.'

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See All

Popular in Wordplay

See All

8 Words with Fascinating Histories

8 Words for Lesser-Known Musical Instruments

Birds Say the Darndest Things

10 Words from Taylor Swift Songs (Merriam's Version)

10 Scrabble Words Without Any Vowels
See All

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Word Game Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
little chihuahua dressing like a turkey for thanksgiving
Giving Thanks Quiz Decide which words express gratitude and which gi...