1550s (implied in sneakish), perhaps from some dialectal survival of Middle English sniken "to creep, crawl" (c. 1200), related to Old English snican "to sneak along, creep, crawl," from Proto-Germanic *sneikanan, which is related to the root of snake (n.). Of feelings, suspicions, etc., from 1748. Transitive sense, "to partake of surreptitiously" is from 1883. Related: Sneaking. Sneak-thief first recorded 1859; sneak-preview is from 1938.
sneak (n.)
"a sneaking person; mean, contemptible fellow," 1640s, from sneak (v.).
双语例句
1. Sometimes our expectations sneak up on us unawares.
有些时候，我们期待的事情会不期而至。
来自柯林斯例句
2. Don't sneak away and hide.
别溜走藏起来。
来自柯林斯例句
3. They attended a sneak preview of the winter fashion collection.